title: What's on Your Mind? Conversation Topics Chosen by People With Degenerative Cognitive-Linguistic Disorders for Communication Boards.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Conversational topics chosen by a group of adults with degenerative cognitive-linguistic disorders for personalized communication board development were examined. The patient-generated themes commonly selected are presented to guide treatment planning and communication board development.
  
  
  METHODS
  Communication boards were created for 109 adults as part of a larger research project. One autobiographical topic that each participant would enjoy discussing multiple times was represented on each communication board with 16 pictures and word labels. For this review, topics were collapsed into general themes through a consensus process and examined by gender and age.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty unique conversational topics were identified from 109 participants and collapsed into 9 general themes: Hobbies, Family, Travel, Work, Home/Places I've Lived, Sports/Fitness, Religion, Animals, and World War II. Age and gender produced variations in themes chosen, though no significance in rank orders was found across groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Topics selected by adults with degenerative cognitive-linguistic disorders for communication boards resemble common conversational adult themes and do not center around basic needs or medical issues. Differences in gender and age for topic selection tend to be based on traditional roles. These general themes should be used when creating personalized communication boards for those who benefit from conversational aids.
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fried-Oken
authors.forename: Darlene
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Daniels
authors.forename: Olivia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ettinger
authors.forename: Aimee
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mooney
authors.forename: Glory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Noethe
authors.forename: Charity
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rowland
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D018888:Aphasia, Primary Progressive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D003143:Communication Devices for People with Disabilities; D003147:Communication Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D010347:Patient Care Planning
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