Sara Chami's research while affiliated with The University of Sydney and other places

Purpose: To explore how language and executive function skills of pre-school-aged children contribute to semantic fluency (a form of verbal fluency) performance. This study investigated effect of age and contribution of vocabulary and executive function on qualitative aspects of the semantic fluency task. Method: Forty typically developing Australian-English-speaking pre-school children, aged 4;0–5;11 (mean age = 55.5 months, SD = 5.21) participated. Eight assessment tasks were presented in random order examining semantic fluency, vocabulary knowledge and executive function. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses determined the extent to which measures of executive function and vocabulary accounted for fluency (number of words correctly produced) and qualitative aspects of the semantic fluency task (number of clusters, number of clustered words, number of switches). Result: While executive function and vocabulary were positively correlated with fluency and all qualitative measures of semantic fluency performance, they were not significant predictors of any aspect of task performance. Age and vocabulary were the only significant predictors of fluency, number of words clustered, and number of switches. Performance on these tasks was strongly related to vocabulary and automated retrieval processes. Conclusion: Pre-school children do not predominantly rely on executive function during semantic fluency. The influence that vocabulary has on semantic fluency task performance outweighs that accounted for by age.

Purpose: Brain tumour and leukaemia represent the most common childhood cancers and can result in communication and swallowing difficulties. The purpose of this study was to survey health professionals and consumers regarding the management of communication and swallowing difficulties in children with brain tumour or leukaemia (CBTL). Method: In this study participants completed a survey focussing on (1) communication and swallowing assessment and intervention, (2) multidisciplinary team (MDT) practices and (3) risk factors. Quantitative data were reported using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were analysed using NVivo12 Qualitative Data Analysis Software. Result: Twenty-four participants were included (22 health professionals; two consumers). Most participants (≥80%) agreed that comprehensive and regular communication and swallowing assessments improved outcomes. Communication and swallowing interventions were reported to improve outcomes by 96% of participants. MDT care was considered essential in improving outcomes. Speech-language pathologists were the primary health professional identified in communication management; additional multidisciplinary health professionals were highlighted in swallowing management. Risk factors were identified across three categories: cancer-related, treatment-related and child-factors. Conclusion: This study collates the expertise and experience of multidisciplinary health professionals and consumers which can be used to guide assessment and intervention for communication and swallowing in CBTL. It also provides perspectives on MDT care and consideration of patient values and risk factors.

Childhood brain tumour and leukaemia are the two most common types of cancers in children. Treatments for these cancers have improved dramatically in recent years and now a majority of children survive. However, these cancers and their treatments can have negative effects on child development, including communication and swallowing skills. This guideline makes two main recommendations about the management of communication and swallowing difficulties in children diagnosed with childhood brain tumour or leukaemia.

The purpose of this systematic review was to appraise and synthesize evidence on communication and swallowing outcomes associated with childhood brain tumor or leukemia (CBTL). A comprehensive database and grey literature search was conducted. Studies included: (a) peer‐reviewed research published between 1998 and 2019, (b) English language, (c) children aged 0‐16 years diagnosed with CBTL, and (d) used outcome measures focused on communication and/or swallowing. Quality assessment was completed and certainty of evidence rated using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE). Fifty‐seven studies met inclusion criteria: 46 examined communication, seven examined swallowing, and four considered both. Most studies were descriptive and prospective. Communication difficulties were frequently reported and apparent at one or more points from diagnosis to survivorship. Swallowing difficulties were frequently reported during oncology treatment. Despite quality assessment revealing methodological shortcomings, results have implications for clinical services and future research.

Purpose: Verbal fluency tests are often used as part of an assessment battery to investigate children's lexical knowledge as well as executive function skills. To date, however, issues surrounding consistency of measurement cloud comparisons across studies, with the developmental performance of Australian-English speaking children also currently lacking. This study tracked verbal fluency development as measured by two semantic fluency tasks that included coding of fluency, clustering and switching type responses. Method: Participants included 355 typically developing Australian-English speaking children (4-10 years) and 46 young adults. Total fluency was determined by the number of words produced for each category (Animals or Food), minus repetitions and rule violations. Semantic clusters (words generated within a subcategory) were coded while switches between single words or subcategories were differentiated and coded as either hard or cluster switches. Result: Fluency showed consistent improvement over age. Cluster Switches and Hard Switches showed some evidence of a plateau in performance relative to fluency, but in opposite direction. Other measures showed no strong trends over age. Results were similar for both semantic categories. Conclusion: Our results highlight the rich information available within a semantic fluency task and the importance of differentiating hard and cluster switches in paediatric samples.