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What is CARD?

  • UNC’s Center for Aphasia and Related Disorders is an educational and research center in the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences.
  • Our partners include expert clinical practitioners, researchers, individuals with speech and language difficulties, and their family members and friends.

Our mission:

  • UNC CARD is dedicated to maximizing functional communication in adults with neurologic communication disorders.
  • Our mission is driven by a commitment to the interrelated areas of research, practice, community partnerships, and education.

Our goals:

Generate new knowledge that will inform future practice in the area of adult-onset neurologic communication disorders.

  • Development of valid and reliable behavioral markers of speech and language disorders for improved differential diagnosis and more effective treatment decision making.
  • Discovery of brain-behavior relationships to help understand the variability of speech and language disorders and to predict behavioral outcomes and response to treatment.
  • Design and evaluation of therapeutic approaches that are theory driven and address individual profiles of strategies, abilities, and difficulties.

Advance the art and science of client-centered clinical practice in adult-onset neurologic communication disorders.

  • Translation of diagnostic markers and evidence-based assessment objectives into practical clinical tools.
  • Development of methods for including people with communication disorders effectively in their own treatment planning, practice, and evaluation.
  • Promotion of ecologically and socially valid treatment approaches by targeting and evaluating communication abilities in everyday life.
  • Support for novel means of communication and self-development through the arts and creative pursuits.

Build and sustain a community of individuals who are dedicated to improved quality of life for people with neurologic communication disorders.

  • Client networks: Conversation and support groups for adults and families affected by neurologic communication disorders; linkages with mentors, community resources, and research opportunities.
  • Professional networks: Colloquia for the discussion and dissemination of new knowledge and clinical experience related to assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of neurologic communication disorders.
  • Interaction among client and professional networks: Printed media and sponsored meetings for sharing information about new developments in clinical management and community support and for input about experiences and priorities from people with communication disorders.

Provide a strong foundation in evidence-based and person-centered practice for future clinicians by enhancing the academic curriculum.

  • Small-group educational experiences focused on the integration of empirical/rational research and clinical practice.
  • Research opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students in research projects using small group, case, single-subject, and qualitative research designs.
  • Co-mentoring of students by faculty clinicians and individuals with communication disorders.

NEW: Do you work with people with aphasia in acute care settings?

Click the button below to participate in a research survey about managing aphasia in the earliest days of recovery. The survey will take approximately 15 minutes of your time and the responses are anonymous. When you have finished, we will share with you examples of goals other speech-language pathologists have used to work with people with aphasia in acute care. For more information, be sure to check out the Aphasia Goal Pool and FOURC model pages under the Resources tab.

Survey for Acute Care Clinicians