Current Research:

Evaluating the ability of children with social emotional behavioural (SEB) and communication difficulties to express their views using Talking Mats.
Coakes L, and Murphy J, Funding from Forth Valley NHS: starting in April 2005

The acute hospital experience for adults with a life long communication disability.
Murphy J, Cameron L, and Balandin S. Funding from CSO Priorities and Needs Programme: started in October 2006

Goal setting: Symbols to words.
Boa S. Funding from Forth Valley NHS :starting in January 2006

The development of a screening tool for adults who are obese and have learning disabilities.
McIntosh P and Cameron L. Funding from Forth Valley NHS :started in November 200

Consultation between GPs and people with a communication disability: This project is now completed and the final report has been approved by the Scottish Executive

Life Planning: This 3 year project to evaluate the effectiveness of Talking Mats is now completed and the final report has been approved by the Scottish Executive

Publications Related to Talking Mats:

Murphy J (2004) Enabling Frail Older People with a Communication Difficulty to Express their Views: the use of Talking Mats™ as an interview tool Health and Social Care in the Community 13 (2) 95-107

Cameron L, Watson J and Murphy (2004) Talking Mats: A focus group tool for people with learning disability. Communication Matters 18 (1) 33-35

Tester S, Hubbard G, Downs M, McDonald C and Murphy J (2004) What does quality of life mean for frail residents? Nursing and Residential Care Vol.6 No.2 p.89-92

Boa S and MacFadyen L (2003) Goal Setting for People with Communication Difficulites. Communication Matters 17 (3) 31-33

Boa, S and Murphy, J (2003) Talking Mats- An overview of current developments. Communicating with pictures and symbols - Augmentative Communication in Practice Study Day 2003 43-45

Murphy, J , McCallan S and Aitken J (2003) Helping People make decisions about PEG Feeding Bulletin of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists No. 618

Bell, D and Cameron, L (2003) The assessment of the sexual knowledge of a person with a severe learning disability and a severe communication disorder British Journal of Learning Disability 31, pp123-129

Watson, J, Cameron, L and Murphy J (2003) Don't just make the font bigger: Talking Mats™- a tool for improving consultation with people with a learning disability - Learning Disability Practice 6(7):20-23

Cameron, L and Murphy, J (2002) Enabling young people with a learning disability to make choices at a time of transition, British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 30:105-11

Murphy, J. and Cameron, L. (2002) Let your Mats do the Talking. Speech and Language Therapy in Practice- Spring 2002 p18-20

Cameron, L. and Murphy, J. (2001) Views of young adults at the time of transition. Communication Matters Journal, Vol. 15 No.1, 31-32

Murphy, J. (2000) Enabling people with aphasia to discuss quality of life. British Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitiation, Vol. 7 No.11, 454-457.

Brown, L, Dendy, M and Murphy, J. (2000) Respite Review: Obtaining the Views of the Users. Communication Matters Journal, Vol. 14 No.2 25-26.

Murphy, J. (1999). Enabling People with Motor Neurone Disease to Discuss their Quality of Life. Communication Matters, Vol.13 No 2, 2-6.

Murphy, J. (1998). Talking Mats: Speech and language research in practice. Speech and Language Therapy in Practice, Autumn 1998, 11-14

Murphy, J. (1998). Helping people with severe communication difficulties to express their views: a low tech tool. Communication Matters, 12(2), 9-11

For a full list of all our publications click here to be taken to The AAC Scotland Website publications page.