Jeff A. Small

Associate Professor

Ph.D., Applied Linguistics, University of Southern California (1994)
Postdoctoral Fellow: University of Kansas (1994-1996), Simon Fraser University (1996-1997)

Contact

Phone: (604) 822-5798 (office), (604) 822-5929 (lab)
Fax: (604) 822-6569
E-mail: jeffs@audiospeech.ubc.ca

Research Interests

My primary program of research addresses factors influencing the quality of communication in interactions between persons with dementia and those who provide them with care (funded by Vancouver Foundation, B.C. Medical Services Foundation; Alzheimer Society of Canada). One arm of this collaborative research focuses on the use and effectiveness of a number of communication strategies in caregiving contexts. Our findings have led to the development of a communication intervention program (TRACED) for family caregivers of persons with dementia (Small & Perry, under review). Another avenue of this research investigates the nature and outcomes of communication between staff and residents in long-term care settings when there is a match or mismatch in their language and/or cultural backgrounds.

A new line of my research just received funding from CIHR and HeRRO-UBC to investigate how a memory training program called “Spaced Retrieval” (SR) might be effectively applied in helping persons with Alzheimer’s disease or Mild Cognitive Impairment improve their recent memory (Small, in press).

Adult Language processing and Disorders Lab

Select Publications

1. Small, J.A. & Perry, J. (invited manuscript, under review). Training family care partners to communicate effectively with persons who have Alzheimer’s disease: The TRACED program. Canadian Journal of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology.
2. Small, J.A. (in press). A new frontier in spaced retrieval memory training for persons with Alzheimer’s disease.  Neuropsychological Rehabilitation.
3. Small, J.A. Huxtable, A., & Walsh, M. (2009). The role of caregiver prosody in conversations with persons who have Alzheimer’s disease. American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias, 24/6, 469-475.
4. Small, J.A. &  Sandhu, N. (2008). Episodic and semantic memory influences on picture naming in Alzheimer’s disease. Brain & Language, 104, 1-9.
5. Small, J.A. (2006). Speech and communication (speech styles). In J.E. Birren (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Gerontology (Second Edition): Age, Aging, and the Aged (pp. 551-558). Oxford: Elsevier Ltd.
6. Small, J. A., & Montoro Rodriguez, J. (2006). Conflict resolution strategies in assisted living and nursing home facilities. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 32(1), 39-45.
7. Small, J.A., Perry, J., Lewis, J. (2005). Perceptions of family caregivers’ psychosocial behaviour when communicating with spouses who have Alzheimer’s disease. American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias, 20 (5), 281-289.
8. Small, J.A. & Perry, J. (2005). “Do you remember?” How caregivers question their spouses who have Alzheimer’s disease and the impact on communication. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 48, 125-136.
9. Small, J.A., Gutman, G., Makela, S., & Hillhouse, B. (2003). Effectiveness of communication strategies used by caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease during activities of daily living. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 46, 353-367.

Teaching

AUDI 403, Introduction to Neurolinguistics
AUDI 530A, Research Methods
AUDI 572, Cognitive Processing and Acquired Language Disorders
AUDI 583, Advanced Speech Science (Speech Perception)
AUDI 585/546B, Language Development Across the Lifespan

Other Information

Affiliations: I am a Qualified Health Researcher in the Centre for Research on Personhood in Dementia at UBC (funded by the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research)