Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons^™

The Influence Of Intensive Treatment In A Cohort Model On Psychosocial Well-Being Of Patients With Aphasia: An Investigation Of Patients’ Quality Of Life Across Three Service Delivery Models, Helena Riley

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Aphasia, a common communication disorder following a stroke, significantly impacts psychosocial wellbeing and quality of life. Despite advancements in rehabilitation frameworks, traditional impairment-based interventions prevail, leaving gaps in addressing holistic needs. This study aims to compare patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) between intensive comprehensive aphasia programs (ICAP), modified ICAPs (mICAPs) and individual usual care (UC) service delivery models for aphasia intervention. Eighteen participants with aphasia were broadly recruited for this study. Each completed a series of PROMs pre-and post-treatment examining psychosocial wellbeing, communicative participation, and health related quality of life. Results indicate that intensive programs show potential for greater gains in …

Recursive Functional Learning In Nonfluent Aphasia, Gerald C. Imaezue

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

People with nonfluent aphasia (PWNA) require feedback from an external agent as well self-feedback to facilitate performance of language production tasks. The extent to which PWNA can use self-feedback alone to improve their task performance is unknown. In addition, it is argued that self-feedback may reinforce or minimize performance errors over time. To test whether either is the case, we introduce an original learning mechanism, recursive functional learning, which uses self-feedback loops to optimize recursively multiple subsystems (cognitive and linguistic subsystems) that PWNA engage during task performance. We used this mechanism to underpin a novel automated procedure we developed, recursive …

Implementation Of Life Participation Approach For Persons With Aphasia, Allison Cosma, Lauren Blodgett, Monika Bozickovic Bozickovic

2023 SLP Posters

Objectives

• Explain the Life Participation Approach to Aphasia (LPAA) and how it relates to persons with aphasia and their caregivers.
• Discuss the significance of Life Participation Approach to Aphasia (LPAA) and explain how it can be implemented in the community, as well as what resources are available for Persons with aphasia (PWA) and their caregivers.
• Perform activities that observe the Life Participation Approach to Aphasia.

Benefits Of Online Support Groups For People With Aphasia (Pwa), Benjamin Norell

2023 SLP Posters

Research on quality of life for People with Aphasia (PWA) post-stroke. Benefits of Life Participation Approach to Aphasia (LPAA).

Post-Aphasia Diagnosis: The Impact Of Social And Emotional Stress On Language, Sarah Alagna

2023 SLP Posters

“Up to 62-70% of persons with aphasia following a stroke experience symptoms of depression. Furthermore, multiple studies indicate that the QOL (Quality of Life) of persons with aphasia is significantly worse than the QOL of stroke survivors without aphasia” (Kristinsson & Halldorsdottir, 2021, p.244). Aphasia is a diagnosis that can cause social and emotional isolation by affecting one’s ability to communicate daily needs and wants. Regarding treatment, the utilization of specific treatment approaches, therapy techniques, and group treatment interventions will be discussed in relation to emphasizing addressing linguistic factors instead of incorporating the social and emotional needs of people with …

People With Aphasia Rehabilitation: Post-Stroke Depression Considerations​, Allison Frey

2023 SLP Posters

The aim of this poster is to provide speech-language pathologists an overview of the development of post-stroke depression (PSD) in individuals with aphasia and its impact on rehabilitation outcomes. Information provided regarding the underlying causes for development of PSD for people with aphasia (PWA) that aids referring for appropriate screening and assessment. PSD treatment considerations and outcomes for PWA will also be discussed. Given the high prevalence of people with aphasia developing PSD, adults with aphasia are 7.408 times more likely to exhibit PSD symptoms when compared to adults without aphasia (Zanella et al., 2022). In closing, it is important …

The Language Of Love: Dating With Aphasia, Eleanor Krobath, Katelynn Morris

2023 SLP Posters

“Stroke and aphasia can negatively affect a person’s ability to maintain healthy social relationships, both within the family and also with friends and the wider network” (Fotiadou et al., 2014). However, very few studies explicitly target skills needed for successful dating among clients with aphasia. Survey data was collected from adults with chronic aphasia to determine perceived barriers, confidence, fear, and success associated with dating, and previous experience in speech therapy. This session will include a literature review related to aspects of communication needed for successful dating, aphasia-related deficits, and the potential impact on the dating process. Participant responses will …

The Effect Of Yoga & Mindfulness On Chronic Aphasia, Marisa Perry

2023 SLP Posters

This presentation aims to describe the relationship between yoga/meditation and aphasia, lists considerations for implementation of yoga/meditation for people with aphasia, and identifies potential benefits of yoga/meditation for people with aphasia.

Effects Of Diabetes On Speech And Language Across The Lifespan, Tayla Slay

2023 SLP Posters

According to the CDC, “diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects the way your body turns food into energy”. More than 37 million adults in the United States have diabetes which is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. With diabetes affecting such a large portion of the population, what do speech-language pathologists need to know about how blood sugar affects speech and language in various types of individuals? This literature review explores the effects of language development later in the life of babies born to mothers with diabetes. The effects that diabetes has on adults’ …

Aphasia Beyond The Western Aphasia Battery Cutoff: What To Do?, Sarah Schuckmann

2023 SLP Posters

Aphasia is a complex language disorder that can vary in severity dependent upon the amount of damage in specific areas of the brain responsible for language expression and comprehension. Typically, the extent of the disorder, and prediction for successful treatment is assessed and confirmed by a set of comprehensive language tests conducted by a speech-language pathologist. The Western Aphasia Battery-Revised (WAB-R) is commonly used to assess the linguistic and non-linguistic skills most frequently affected by aphasia. A score of 93.8 or above distinguishes an individual as normal or non-aphasic; however, many people with aphasia score above this cut-off and still …

Indirectly And Directly Involved Students' Perspectives On Multi-Modal Communication Treatment In Persons With Aphasia, Emily Lewis

Honors Theses

Our study investigated the perspectives of students who were either directly or indirectly involved in the Multi-modal communication treatment (MCT) sessions for persons with aphasia. Two undergraduate and two graduate students were recruited from the University of Mississippi who participated in the MCT sessions. We collected their perspectives through semi-structured interviews and used thematic qualitative analysis to analyze our data. We reported themes from the indirectly involved students and the directly involved students and compared how the themes were similar and different between the indirectly and directly involved students. We discussed that both direct and indirect experience for clinical therapy …

Main Concept, Sequencing, And Story Grammar (Mssg) Analyses Of The Cinderella Story In Latent Aphasia, Janet B. Adams

Speech and Hearing Sciences ETDs

Commonly used standardized tests, like the Western Aphasia Battery-Revised (WAB-R), are not sensitive to higher level discourse deficits, leading to certain individuals not meeting diagnostic criteria for aphasia. Consequently, individuals with aphasia are excluded from receiving potentially beneficial services and/or from being included in research. In a large sample of persons with stroke-induced aphasia, this study analyzed discourse samples using Main Concept, Sequencing, and Story Grammar (MSSG) Analyses to examine macrostructural discourse characteristics of persons with latent aphasia (PWLAs) compared to persons with no underlying brain injury (PNBIs) and persons classified as having anomic aphasia (PWAAs) by the WAB-R. A …

Ancillary Data For Refining Computer Adaptive Algorithms For The Assessment Of Anomia, Emily Kathryn Tudorache

Dissertations and Theses

Computer adaptive testing formats, based in item response theory (IRT), are becoming an increasingly popular approach to testing in healthcare because they offer numerous psychometric and practical advantages to assessment when compared to static tests that rely on classical test theory. Fergadiotis and colleagues (2015) have developed computer adaptive versions of the Philadelphia Naming Test (PNT) short-forms, which have demonstrated acceptable precision and standard error of measurement when compared to the static short-forms and original full-length assessment. This study sought to use synthetic data simulations using the catIrt R package (Nydik, 2014) to investigate possible advantages of the use of …

Light And Heavy Verb Productions Between Single And Sequential Picture Description Tasks In People With And Without Non-Fluent Aphasia, Jessica Hall

Honors Theses

Background: Previous research has shown that persons with non-fluent aphasia (PWNFA) suffer from the inability to retrieve words, specifically more of a difficulty with verb productions. Various discourse elicitation tasks have shown to have differing effects on verb retrievals in this population. However, there is a lack of research on the relationship between single vs. sequential picture description tasks and the productions of heavy and light verbs in persons with non-fluent aphasia.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the ratios of heavy and light verbs produced in both single picture description tasks and sequential picture description tasks …

Therapeutic Relationships In Aphasia Rehabilitation: Using Sociological Theories To Promote Critical Reflexivity, Felicity Bright, Stacie Attrill, Deborah Hersh

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020 The Authors. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists Background: Therapeutic relationships are fundamental in aphasia rehabilitation, influencing patient experience and outcomes. While we have good understandings of the components of therapeutic relationships, there has been little exploration of how and why therapists construct and enact relationships as they do. Sociological theories may help develop nuanced understanding of the values, assumptions and structures that influence practice, and may facilitate critical reflexivity on practice. Aims: To explore the potential for theoretical approaches …

Remote Supported Communication For Adults With Chronic Aphasia: A Serendipitous Study, Allie Hopper

Theses and Dissertations--Communication Sciences and Disorders

Supported communication is defined as anything that improves access to or participation in communication events or activities (King, Simmons-Mackie, & Beukelman, 2012). This thesis describes the results of a study that took place when a training program to provide graduate students in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) with “hands on” experience in providing supported communication to persons with chronic aphasia (PWA) was interrupted by the outbreak of Coronavirus-19 and switched to a remote delivery format to fulfil service and training obligations to the PWA and the CSD graduate students respectively. The study (1) describes the actions taken to covert a …

The Relationship Between Narrative Informativeness And Psychosocial Outcomes In Chronic Stroke-Induced Aphasia, Eileen Armes, Jessica Richardson, Rick Arenas, Lori Nelson

Speech and Hearing Sciences ETDs

Currently there is a gap in the literature in understanding the relationship between the newly categorized primary outcome measure of discourse and secondary outcomes related to psychosocial impact, such as participation, psychological impact, social well-being, or mood. In a large sample of persons with stroke-induced aphasia (N=115), this study analyzed discourse samples using main concept analysis to determine how discourse performance correlates with the secondary outcome measures ALA, CCRSA, GDS, and CIQ. As a secondary research question, the differences in these relationships dependent on severity was also explored. Results showed statistically significant positive correlations between main concepts (MCs) and ALA …

Diagnosing And Managing Post-Stroke Aphasia, Shannon M. Sheppard, Rajani Sebastian

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Articles and Research

Introduction: Aphasia is a debilitating language disorder and even mild forms of aphasia can negatively affect functional outcomes, mood, quality of life, social participation, and the ability to return to work. Language deficits after post-stroke aphasia are heterogeneous.

Areas covered: The first part of this manuscript reviews the traditional syndrome-based classification approach as well as recent advances in aphasia classification that incorporate automatic speech recognition for aphasia classification. The second part of this manuscript reviews the behavioral approaches to aphasia treatment and recent advances such as noninvasive brain stimulation techniques and pharmacotherapy options to augment the effectiveness of …

Comparison Of High-Tech Augmentative And Alternative Communication Interfaces: Do Age And Technology Experience Matter?, Surani Gopika Nakkawita

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Previous research has demonstrated that individuals with stroke-induced aphasia can use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) when they cannot meet their communication needs using spoken language (Dietz, Weissling, Griffith, McKelvey, & Macke, 2014; Purdy & Van Dyke, 2011). Of the various interfaces found in the different AAC systems, the grid display and the visual scene display (VSD) have been used by individuals with aphasia (Hough & Johnson, 2009; Dietz et al., 2018). However, there is a scarcity of research examining the comparative usefulness of these interfaces.

This prospective study attempted to understand how neurologically healthy individuals of different ages and …

Enhancing Intergenerational Conversation Using Visual Cues: Effects Of A Historical Timeline, Allyson Lindsay

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Interacting with individuals with expressive aphasia can be particularly challenging not only because of the language impairments, but also because of the frequent age difference between the clients with aphasia and student clinicians. Although students learn a variety of strategies to support language impairments, there remains a need to bridge the age gap in historical knowledge to enhance conversation. The current study explored the use of a timeline as written and pictorial cue to support conversations between individuals with aphasia and students. This study consisted of Two Experiments. The purpose of Experiment 1 was to identify the differences in knowledge …

Rehabilitation Of Post-Stroke Aphasia In Ghana, Keren Sarpomaa Kankam

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Aphasia is one of the most common consequences of stroke and affects the communication and social functioning of approximately 30-35% of stroke survivors. Despite the importance of speech-language pathology (SLP) services for individuals with post-stroke aphasia, aphasia rehabilitation services in sub-Saharan Africa are riddled with challenges. Through interviews, demographic information, and syllabi reviews, we examined the SLP assessment and treatment services available for individuals with post-stroke aphasia in Ghana and the challenges the stakeholder groups encounter in providing and identifying such services. Results of the study identified challenges with the current post-stroke aphasia services in Ghana, and thus the need …

Communicating Simply, But Not Too Simply: Reporting Of Participants And Speech And Language Interventions For Aphasia After Stroke, Release Collaboration, Marian C. Brady, Myzoon Ali, Kathryn Vandenberg, Linda J. Williams, Louise R. Williams, Masahiro Abo, Frank Becker, Audrey Bowen, Caitlin Brandenburg, Caterina Breitenstein, Stefanie Bruehl, David A. Copland, Tamara B. Cranfill, Marie Di Pietro-Bachmann, Pamela Enderby, Joanne Fillingham, Federica Lucia Galli, Marialuisa Gandolfi, Bertrand Glize, Erin Godecke, Neil Hawkins, Katerina Hilari, Jacqueline Hinckley, Simon Horton, David Howard, Petra Jaecks, Elizabeth Jefferies, Luis Mt Jesus, Maria Kambanaros, Eun Kyoung Kang, Eman M. Khedr, Anthony Pak-Hin Kong, Tarja Kukkonen, Marina Laganaro, Matthew A. Lambon-Ralph, Ann Charlotte Laska, Béatrice Leemann, Alexander P. Leff, Roxele R. Lima, Antje Lorenz, Brian Macwhinney, Rebecca Shisler Marshall, Flavia Mattioli, İlknur Maviş, Marcus Meinzer, Reza Nilipour, Enrique Noé, Nam-Jong Paik, Rebecca Palmer, Ilias Papathanasiou, Brigida F. Patricio, Isabel Pavão Martins, Cathy Price, Tatjana Prizl Jakovac, Elizabeth Rochon, Miranda L. Rose, Charlotte Rosso, Ilona Rubi-Fessen, Marina B. Ruiter, Claerwen Snell, Benjamin Stahl, Jerzy P. Szaflarski, Shirley A. Thomas, Mieke Van De Sandt-Koenderman, Ineke Van Der Meulen, Evy Visch-Brink, Linda Worrall, Heather Harris Wright

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Purpose: Speech and language pathology (SLP) for aphasia is a complex intervention delivered to a heterogeneous population within diverse settings. Simplistic descriptions of participants and interventions in research hinder replication, interpretation of results, guideline and research developments through secondary data analyses. This study aimed to describe the availability of participant and intervention descriptors in existing aphasia research datasets.

Method: We systematically identified aphasia research datasets containing ≥10 participants with information on time since stroke and language ability. We extracted participant and SLP intervention descriptions and considered the availability of data compared to historical and current reporting standards. We developed an …

Examining The Effects Of Pause Times On Auditory Comprehension Utilizing Secondary Data Analysis, Katelyn Vera

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In this secondary data analysis research study, existing data were analyzed in order to compare behavioral and electrophysiological performance in an individual with aphasia and an individual with no brain damage. The effects of pauses of different durations (i.e., 1, 2, or 3 seconds) inserted within a spoken message were analyzed by examining behavioral and electrophysiological data. Data analyzed included correct response rate, behavioral reaction time, and N400 event related potential (ERP) component amplitude and latency. The following research questions were examined: Is there a difference between the individual with aphasia and the individual with no brain damage for each …

Treatment Of Auditory Processing In Noise In Individuals With Mild Aphasia: Pilot Study, Anastasia M. Raymer, Hilary M. Sandberg, Kathryn S. Schwartz, Ginger S. Watson, Stacie I. Ringleb

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

Purpose: Listening in noise challenges listeners with auditory comprehension impairments in aphasia. We examined the effects of Trivia Game, a computerized program with questions spoken in increasing levels of background noise with success in the game.

Methods: We piloted Trivia Game in four individuals with chronic aphasia and mild auditory comprehension impairments. Participants played Trivia Game for 12 twenty-minute sessions. In addition to the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB), we measured outcomes on Quick Speech in Noise (QSIN), a sentence repetition test, administered in auditory (AUD) and auditory+visual (AV) conditions as signal-to-noise ratio varied from 25 to 0 dB.

Results: All …

The Impact Of Depression On Treatment Outcomes For Patients With Aphasia Who Participate In An Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Program (Icap), Harley B. Kincheloe

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Abstract

Background: Aphasia is a multi-modal impairment resulting from left-hemisphere stroke. Aphasia is often accompanied by post-stroke depression. Acquiring aphasia and depression is seen to hinder quality of life and rehabilitative outcomes. Traditional stroke therapy often does not monitor or treat psychological difficulties such as depression. Such psychological difficulties hinder progress in recovery and may need to be addressed in therapy to ensure the best possible outcomes.

Aims: In response to the lack of psychological support for persons with aphasia, this literature review aims to explore the impact of depression on functional outcomes. Furthermore, this literature review will explore how …

Promoting Aphasia Awareness, Yvonne M. Faria, Fiona Mcnulty, Veronica C. Gonzalez, Peggy S. Conner

Publications and Research

The National Aphasia Association defines aphasia as an impairment of language, affecting the production or comprehension of speech and ability to write. This communication disorder is typically acquired after a brain injury resulting from an accident or stroke. Nearly 180,000 Americans acquire aphasia each year. Despite efforts to increase awareness about aphasia, via organizations such as the National Aphasia Association, general knowledge is still limited. In 2000 Elman and colleagues collected data on the number of news articles that mentioned the term “aphasia” and compared it to similar health conditions with comparable or lower prevalence rates. They found that these …

The Effects Of Enactment On Communicative Competence In Aphasic Casual Conversation: A Functional Linguistic Perspective, Rimke Groenewold, Elizabeth Armstrong

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: Previous research has shown that speakers with aphasia rely on enactment more often than non-brain-damaged language users. Several studies have been conducted to explain this observed increase, demonstrating that spoken language containing enactment is easier to produce and is more engaging to the conversation partner. This paper describes the effects of the occurrence of enactment in casual conversation involving individuals with aphasia on its level of conversational assertiveness. Aims: To evaluate whether and to what extent the occurrence of enactment in speech of individuals with aphasia contributes to its conversational assertiveness. Methods & Procedures: Conversations between a speaker with …

Aphasia Couples Therapy: A Case Study Of Conversational Coaching For A Man With Conduction Aphasia, Adriana Joma

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to contribute to the understanding of the effects of aphasia couples therapy (ACT) in a person with conduction aphasia. ACT is a social therapeutic approach that involves facilitating conversations between the person with aphasia (PWA) and their spouse, or caregiver. The participants in this study involved one pair. The dependent variables included conveyance of main concepts, use of intentional gestures, reflections and summary statements per conversation. Miscellaneous measures were also counted and analyzed including the PWA’s frequency of paraphasias, fillers (e.g. um, uh), and disfluencies. Baseline sessions involved the PWA watching a video clip, …

Estimating The Impact Of Assessment And Treatment Fidelity On Aphasia Treatment Outcomes, Trisha L. Tanaka

Speech and Hearing Sciences ETDs

Purpose: Calls for treatment and assessment fidelity strongly suggest the need to reduce treatment provider and assessor variance surrounding intervention research. The extent to which these sources of variance influence treatment outcomes in aphasia treatment research has yet to be examined. This simulation study sought to explore the relationships between quality of fidelity methods, sample size, power to detect treatment effects, and aphasia treatment effect sizes.

Methods: Individual participant outcomes collected from previous aphasia treatment research studies were used to simulate 200,000 participant outcomes, from which 8,000 sample treatment trials were simulated. Effect sizes were calculated for treatment outcomes related …

The Psychosocial Effects Of Aphasia On The Caregiver, Lauren A. Ferrara

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Studies have investigated the physical and emotional wellbeing of family members and spouses who care for persons with stroke (Bakas, et al. 2006). Literature shows burden of care is high in role reversal and depression is frequent. Variables that affect the caregiver burden with persons with aphasia (PWA) have not been identified prior to this study. Results from caregiver interviews found six themes, some which have not been identified prior, such as feelings of optimism.