Primary Progressive Aphasia and Other Frontotemporal Dementias: Diagnosis and Treatment of Associated Communication Disorders

A Volume in Plural's Medical Speech-Language Pathology Book Series

Primary Progressive Aphasia and Other Frontotemporal Dementias: Diagnosis and Treatment of Associated Communication Disorders is the second volume in the “Medical Speech-Language Pathology” book series. It is intended to fill an unmet need to assist clinicians, students, and related healthcare professionals in the diagnosis and treatment of the title disorders.

There is a growing population of individuals diagnosed with various forms of Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) and Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA), and this number is likely to increase as medical practitioners and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) become more expert at identifying these conditions. More clinicians will be seeing, and treating, patients with a diagnosis of FTD or PPA. Toward that end, the goal of this book is to expand this clinical knowledge base and support the development of skills in diagnosis, but also in clinical management.

Within each chapter is a concise presentation of available evidence-based practice and research findings, with a focus on sharing information that is clinically applicable and digestible for non-researchers. Each chapter provides a comprehensive outline of testing that will assist in the diagnosis of the cognitive-communication disorders associated with FTD, PPAs, and primary progressive apraxia of speech (PPAOS).

The book also comes with access to a PluralPlus companion website containing videos and color versions of images from the text.

From the Foreword

". . .It is very appropriate at this time to take stock of the state of the science and art of research and clinical practice directed at PPA, PPAOS, and related FTDs. This book does just that. As a whole, it provides a very substantive overview of the topic, and its individual chapters provide essential details about the underpinnings, defining clinical features, assessment, differential diagnosis, and management of each of the disorders. The consistent chapter-to-chapter format and case studies provide a reader-friendly cohesiveness that will be appreciated by students, busy clinicians, and clinical researchers. Lastly, this book will serve as a solid foundation for critically appraising the value of future clinical research that will impact the quality of care for individuals with these increasingly recognized disorders which so insidiously but profoundly siphon away the ability to communicate."
—​​​​Joseph R. Duffy, PhD, CCC-SLP, BC-ANCDS

Reviews

"Named to Doody's Core Titles in the Health Sciences - Speech, Language & Hearing 2020 list."
—Doody's (May 2020)

Originally published in German and translated to English:
"Overall, the book offers comprehensive access to the entire spectrum of FTD and the linguistic and communicative impairments that occur as a result of the different variants of the disease. The current state of research as well as diagnostic and therapeutic options discussed in the international literature are clearly presented and prepared for clinical application. The book is recommended for all those who deal with the different variants of FTD, especially PPA, in teaching, clinic or research."
—Dr. Anna Rosenkranz in Forum Logopädie (July 2020)

“Rene L. Utianski has recruited a range of experts to provide seven chapters, including an Introductory chapter, covering the primary progressive aphasias. Each chapter deals with a specific variant of primary progressive aphasia (PPA). The well-known forms, nonfluent/ agrammatic primary progressive aphasia, semantic dementia, primary progressive apraxia of speech, the logopenic variant, each have a chapter. In addition, there are chapters on primary progressive apraxia of speech, behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia, and frontotemporal dementia in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. There is also an appendix containing information on community and clinical research resources and a short index. Each chapter concisely describes the neurophysiological underlying progressive disease processes associated with the clinical presentations the essential features for differential diagnosis. In addition, each chapter presents a review of contemporary treatment research, with an important discussion of the role of the speech and language pathologist/therapist within an interdisciplinary team. There are excellent case studies identifying treatment goals and useful discussion of counselling and education for the patients and their families. This is a particularly timely volume, as suggested by Joe Duffy in his Foreword to the book. Dr. Utianski and her authors are to be congratulated for their work in providing this essential, up-to-date and concise resource for clinicians, students and researchers. I have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone working with progressive speech and language disorders.”
—Chris Code, University of Exeter, in Aphasiology (2021)

Series Introduction by Kristie A. Spencer and Jacqueline Daniels

Foreword by Joseph R. Duffy

Preface

Contributors

Chapter 1. Introduction

Julie A. G. Stierwalt

Chapter 2. The Logopenic Variant of Primary Progressive Aphasia

Kindle Rising and Pelagie M. Beeson

Chapter 3. Semantic Dementia

Hsinhuei Sheen Chiou and Alissa H. Allison

Chapter 4. Nonfluent/Agrammatic Primary Progressive Aphasia

Kristin M. Schaffer and Maya L. Henry

Chapter 5. Primary Progressive Apraxia of Speech

Hugo Botha and Rene L. Utianski

Chapter 6. Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia

Megan Quimby, Katie Brandt, and Bradford C. Dickerson

Chapter 7. Frontotemporal Dementia in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Julie S. Snowden, Jennifer A. Saxon, and Jacqueline Kindell

Appendix. Community and Clinical Research Resources

Index

Purchase of Primary Progressive Aphasia and Other Frontotemporal Dementias comes with access to supplementary materials on a PluralPlus companion website.

To access the materials, you must register the access code printed on the inside front cover of your book on the companion website.