Speech Pathology and Audiology Commons^™

Aphasia Therapy In An Arabic-Speaking Individual After Stroke: A Case Report, Mohammed F. Alharbi Dr

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: This case report describes the clinical application and preliminary outcomes of Arabic-adapted Semantic Feature Analysis (SFA), Phonological Components Analysis (PCA), and Verb Network Strengthening Treatment (VNeST) in an Arabic-speaking adult with post-stroke aphasia and highlights language-specific factors that affect the adaptation of these interventions to Arabic. Methods: The participant was a 53-year-old right-handed native Arabic-speaking man who developed moderate to severe nonfluent transcortical motor aphasia after a left middle cerebral artery stroke. One month after stroke onset, he underwent assessment with the Short Aphasia Test for Gulf Arabic speakers, which showed relatively preserved auditory comprehension and repetition but marked …

Exploring The Quality-Of-Life Impact Of Driving For People With Aphasia, Kaleigh Welch, Emily Huddleston

Appalachian Student Healthcare Research Review

Purpose: This study explored how driving ability or loss affects the social, emotional, and practical quality of life of people with aphasia (PWA). Given that driving is a key marker of independence, identity, and community participation, the study aimed to understand how individuals with aphasia experience driving resumption or cessation and how these experiences shape daily functioning and psychosocial well‑being.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven adults with aphasia recruited from a university-based aphasia group. Interviews were completed in a private university clinic room. Open-ended questions elicited participants’ feelings, experiences, and perceptions regarding driving or not driving after aphasia. …

Clinical Case Study: The Effects Of Task Dynamics And Saltatory Pneumotactile Stimulation On Cerebral Oxygenation, Cognitive Performance, And Sensorimotor Function In An Adult Following Left Ischemic Mca Stroke, Bridget Slagle

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In the chronic stage of stroke recovery, neuroplasticity is thought to require external influence, and is often considered to be experience-dependent, or “Hebbian,” plasticity. Current studies have been investigating multiple ways to induce plasticity to enhance recovery, including investigating the role of sensory stimulation in cortical priming to enhance the effects of rehabilitation interventions.

This case study of an 80-year-old female with aphasia after L-MCA ischemic stroke included 18 neurotherapeutic sessions over 10 weeks. Each session included pneumotactile somatosensory stimulation to the glabrous hand and perioral face, delivered to both the left and right side via the GALILEO, as well …

Integrating Perspectives Of People With Aphasia: A Holistic Approach To Community Aphasia Groups Within An Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Program, Mckinlee A. Mihelish

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Introduction: People with aphasia (PWA) experience chronic communication deficits that impact daily life. Community Aphasia Groups (CAGs) are commonly used to address these challenges and have demonstrated psychosocial and communicative benefits; however, they lack standardized structure and are implemented with variability across settings. Additionally, much of the existing research focuses on group-level outcomes rather than participant-driven priorities, limiting clinicians’ ability to tailor interventions. This study examined what PWA want from CAG participation and how these priorities may change over time.

Methods: This quantitative study investigated priority changes among PWA participating in a CAG within a summer 2025 Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia …

Perspectives Of Poetry: Peering Into Poetry And Aphasia, Kristian M. Perez

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

People with aphasia often experience significant barriers to communication, emotional expression, and participation in meaningful life activities following stroke or neurological injury. Although poetry and creative expression have been explored in broader therapeutic contexts, limited research has examined how people with aphasia perceive poetry. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perspectives of people with aphasia regarding definitions of poetry, level of interest in poetry and the factors influencing said interest. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with adults with aphasia recruited through convenience sampling. Participants responded to questions before and after exposure to the poem Trust by Mark …

Clinicians Perspective On The Implementation Of Person-Centered Care In Persons With Aphasia, Carmen S. Alderman

Theses and Dissertations--Communication Sciences and Disorders

This paper examines speech-language pathologist perspective on implementing person-centered care for persons with aphasia. Person-centered care is based on the social model, which emphasizes the importance of including the client. The survey addressed clinicians’ use of person-centered care related to collaborative goal setting and treatment planning, as well as facilitators and barriers to implementing person-centered care for individuals with aphasia based on the view of practicing clinicians across a variety of settings. The results indicated most speech-language pathologists have heard of person-centered care, understand the importance of involving clients in goal setting, ask clients about their preferences when setting goals, …

Practicing Clinicians' Views Of The Life Participation Approach To Aphasia Therapy, Stephanie H. Mays

Theses and Dissertations--Communication Sciences and Disorders

The Life Participation Approach to Aphasia therapy (LPAA) aligns with a person-centered, functional approach to speech therapy. Past research has demonstrated that persons with aphasia (PWA) benefit from this approach and prefer it when compared to the traditional medical model to therapy. However, a disconnect between PWA preferences and SLP treatment approaches in therapy persists. This study aims to identify both barriers and facilitators that SLPs face when implementing LPAA. Five CCC-SLPs practicing in the state of KY with experience working with PWA were recruited as participants. Participants were placed into two focus groups, with each group meeting for 2-3 …

An Aphasia Friendly Questionnaire For Post-Stroke Fatigue, Abigail Best

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

A stroke is when there is lack of blood flow to part of the brain. It can cause permanent damage, such as paralysis, sensory changes, difficulty with speech and language (such as aphasia), and decreased memory. Within this project, we will discuss individuals post-stroke who are diagnosed with aphasia, which is the inability to understand and express language. Currently, there are minimal resources available to help a healthcare worker define and assess the fatigue level of a patient post-stroke who is also diagnosed with aphasia. The first objective of this research is to discuss stroke and aphasia. The second objective …

Dr. Audrey Holland's Crazy Patchwork Quilt: A Thematic Analysis, Jessica D. Richardson, Sarah Grace Hudspeth Dalton, Honey Isabel Hubbard, Maya Henry

Speech Pathology and Audiology Faculty Research and Publications

Dr. Audrey Holland was a friend to people with aphasia and related disorders, care partners, community advocates, students, clinicians, educators, researchers, and more. Her profound impact extended across these diverse communities within aphasiology and speech-language pathology. Through her words and deeds, Audrey established a rich legacy that continues to guide and inspire countless individuals. A careful examination of her contributions reveals a roadmap for those seeking to embark on a similar journey of compassion and influence. To pay tribute to our mentor and friend, we conducted a thematic analysis of her solo works to identify enduring themes, laugh-out-loud anecdotes, and …

Lcd 106: Introduction To Communication Sciences And Disorders, Yael Neumann

Open Educational Resources

This course will provide an introduction to the development and disorders of speech, language, and communication in children and adults. Disorders such as autism, aphasia, stuttering, and learning disabilities will be discussed. Differences noted in culturally and linguistically diverse communities will also be addressed. The course activities will give students an experiential appreciation of the experience of communication challenges and supporting people with those challenges. Information about the professions of Speech-Language Pathology (SLP), Audiology, and Speech and Hearing Science will be reviewed as potential career paths.

Visualizing Communication Disorders Through Art, Adriana Reyes

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This art series visualizes the signs, symptoms, and intervention strategies for various speech and language disorders. The illustrations were lightly sketched onto the canvas and oil-based paint was used as the medium. In the art series, the disorders depicted are childhood apraxia of speech, dysarthria, articulation disorder, and aphasia. The public and parents may be uninformed or have misconceptions about communication disorders. Therefore, it is important to educate others about communication disorders to construct a network of support, respect, and learning different ways to communicate since speech and language disorders can make a profound impact on a person’s life.

The Impact Of Treatment Dosage On Cognitive-Linguistic Outcomes Of Patients With Aphasia: An Investigation Of Three Service Delivery Models, Adele J. Derendinger

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study addresses the gap in literature by directly comparing the effectiveness of Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Programs (ICAPs) and modified ICAPs (mICAPs) to usual care service delivery models for people with aphasia. Through a prospective study design, cognitive-linguistic function change scores across different service delivery models were examined. The findings reveal significant within-group improvements in cognitive-linguistic function for participants in ICAPs, with some improvement seen in mICAPs and usual care conditions. Intensive models demonstrated greater improvement compared to non-intensive usual care models, particularly evident in the Western Aphasia Battery – Revised and the Boston Naming Test – Second Edition. …

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 …

Impact Of Covid-19 On Individuals With Aphasia: Effects On Quality Of Life And Communication, Kaci L. Gammon

Honors College Theses

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) help people with aphasia (PWA) manage their communication symptoms and become more independent by supporting them linguistically and emotionally. During COVID-19, speech and language services were not as readily available to PWA due to quarantine restrictions resulting in isolation within this population. Individuals with aphasia had to redirect and find a new way to function daily. This study explored factors that affected quality of communication and quality of life for PWA during the pandemic, including technology, living situation, timing of stroke, and speech-language pathology services. Through an online survey, PWA from across the country expressed how their …

Feasibility Of An Abstract Verb Naming Treatment For Aphasia, Dallin J. Bailey, Lisa Bunker, Julie L. Wambaugh

Faculty Publications

Purpose

Verb production impairments in aphasia have important implications for sentence production and communication in general. Verbs with low concreteness may be especially important for certain functional uses, and yet limited data regarding their response to treatment are available. This study was designed to examine a novel behavioral treatment approach to improve low concreteness verb naming in persons with aphasia.

Method

Three persons with nonfluent aphasia participated in a single-subject experimental design research study examining the feasibility of the novel treatment. The treatment was based on approaches that target the verb as the central node of meaning during sentence construction. …

The Effect Of Visual Feedback On Vocal Compensation Abilities In Individuals With Post-Stroke Aphasia, Marissa Rylee Olson

Theses and Dissertations

Speech production is a complex and highly organized process comprised of various sensory and perceptual components. Post-stroke aphasia can impair speech production abilities by interrupting individuals’ ability to detect and correct speech errors and produce their targeted behavior. Contemporary models of speech production aim to understand the relationship between sensory systems and the human ability to produce perceptually accurate speech. This study seeks to understand the relationship between visual feedback and vocal compensation abilities in individuals with post-stroke aphasia to determine the effectiveness of incorporating visual feedback into therapeutic expressive language intervention. It was hypothesized that that the multi-sensory experimental …

Benefit Of Visual Speech Information For Word Comprehension In Post-Stroke Aphasia, Anna Krason, Gabriella Vigliocco, Marja-Liisa Mailend, Harrison Stoll, Rosemary Varley, Laurel J. Buxbaum

Moss-Magee Rehabilitation Papers

Aphasia is a language disorder that often involves speech comprehension impairments affecting communication. In face-to-face settings, speech is accompanied by mouth and facial movements, but little is known about the extent to which they benefit aphasic comprehension. This study investigated the benefit of visual information accompanying speech for word comprehension in people with aphasia (PWA) and the neuroanatomic substrates of any benefit. Thirty-six PWA and 13 neurotypical matched control participants performed a picture-word verification task in which they indicated whether a picture of an animate/inanimate object matched a subsequent word produced by an actress in a video. Stimuli were either …

Verb Tense Production Differences Across Various Discourse Tasks In People With Fluent And Nonfluent Aphasia, Madeline Ann Zurbrugg

Honors Theses

Background: Fluent and nonfluent aphasia are both seen to exhibit varying degrees of morphosyntactic difficulties, with particular difficulties in verb tense production. There is disagreement regarding why tense is particularly impaired, which type of aphasia is more impaired and why, and whether some tense forms are more impaired than others. There is also evidence that language elicitation tasks affect language production measures because they require different linguistic and cognitive processes. This is likely also true for verb tense production. To date, no studies have examined discourse elicitation task effect on verb tense production in both fluent and nonfluent aphasia. The …

Students' Understanding Of Self-Management In Aphasia Treatment, Maryse Azer

Honors College Theses

Aphasia is a neurogenic language disorder caused by damage to the language areas of the brain in the left hemisphere, resulting in speech and language impairments. People with aphasia (PWA) often receive services from speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who provide screening, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment to address communication deficits. Aphasia is a chronic condition and PWA experience symptoms throughout their lives. Healthcare costs related to aphasia account for $46 billion annually. Provider shortages, lack of transportation, insurance constraints, and travel expenses can leave PWA without adequate care. One possible solution to the costs and access issues is the implementation of self-management …

Precision Rehabilitation For Aphasia By Patient Age, Sex, Aphasia Severity, And Time Since Stroke? A Prespecified, Systematic Review-Based, Individual Participant Data, Network, Subgroup Meta-Analysis, Release Collaborators, Jacqueline Hinckley

HPD Articles

BACKGROUND: Stroke rehabilitation interventions are routinely personalized to address individuals' needs, goals, and challenges based on evidence from aggregated randomized controlled trials (RCT) data and meta-syntheses. Individual participant data (IPD) meta-analyses may better inform the development of precision rehabilitation approaches, quantifying treatment responses while adjusting for confounders and reducing ecological bias. AIM: We explored associations between speech and language therapy (SLT) interventions frequency (days/week), intensity (h/week), and dosage (total SLT-hours) and language outcomes for different age, sex, aphasia severity, and chronicity subgroups by undertaking prespecified subgroup network meta-analyses of the RELEASE database. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and trial registrations were systematically …

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 …

How Differences In Personal Style Can Impact Participation In Group Therapy Sessions Across Delivery Models, Chelsea A. Libreros-Cortes, Kylie Trebour, Nicholas Zablocki

Kean Quest Graduate

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Bilingual Advantage: Is Support Found In Aphasia Patients?, Alexa Juarez-Le, Caroline Kerrigan

Kean Quest Graduate

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Impact Of Nonlinguistic Cognitive Reserve On Naming Pre- And Post-Treatment, Lillian Jarold

Theses and Dissertations

Background: The relationship between linguistic and nonlinguistic cognition in persons with aphasia is complex and often debated in the literature. Furthermore, the impact of nonlinguistic cognition on aphasia treatment outcomes is unclear. The present study sought 1) to examine the relationship between WAIS scores and performance on a test of naming and 2) to examine the relationship between WAIS scores and change scores on a test of naming between baseline and post-treatment in persons with chronic aphasia.

Method: This retrospective study utilized data from participants (N=102) who were recruited for a multi-center cross-over trial (POLAR: Predicting Outcomes of Language Rehabilitation). …

The Nature Of Word Errors And Response Time In Individuals With Aphasia, Alexandra M. Georges

ETD Archive

Anomia is a relevant language deficit secondary to aphasia that is treated in the speech-language pathologist profession. Most aphasia diagnoses utilize aspects of confrontational naming tasks during speech therapy or testing. This study investigated the nature of word errors and the response time (RT) in persons with aphasia (PWA). Six individuals, three with nonfluent and three with fluent aphasia were asked to name objects in four common categories (occupational tools, everyday objects, food, and clothing) presented under two conditions (1) picture objects on a computer screen and (2) real physical objects. To measure RT and word error, participants were instructed …

Exploring Discourse Markers As A Treatment Outcome Measure For Aphasia, Anna K. Cedoz

Masters Theses

Discourse Markers (DMs) are communicative tools or resources that people use to organize conversations. The use of DMs among individuals with aphasia has been documented to support their communicative competence (Simmons-Mackie & Damico, 1996). Further research on the use of DMs by individuals with aphasia has been limited. The current study features a secondary analysis using existing data from Devanga (2020), which studied the effects of Collaborative Referencing Intervention (CRI; Hengst et al., 2010) on three participants with chronic aphasia. This study analyzed 18 conversation probes from one participant across baseline, treatment, and maintenance phases with clinician and spouse partners. …

Differential Effects Of Speech And Language Therapy And Rtms In Chronic Versus Subacute Post-Stroke Aphasia: Results Of The Northstar-Ca Trial, Anna Zumbansen, Heike Kneifel, Latifa Lazzouni, Anja Ophey, Sandra E. Black, Joyce L. Chen, Dylan Edwards, Thomas Funck, Alexander Erich Hartmann, Wolf Dieter Heiss, Franziska Hildesheim, Sylvain Lanthier, Paul Lespérance, George Mochizuki, Caroline Paquette, Elizabet Rochon, Ilona Rubi-Fessen, Jennie Valles, Susan Wortman-Jutt, Alexander Thiel

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background & objective: Contralesional 1-Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the right pars triangularis combined with speech-language therapy (SLT) has shown positive results on the recovery of naming in subacute (5–45 days) post-stroke aphasia. NORTHSTAR-CA is an extension of the previously reported NORTHSTAR trial to chronic aphasia (>6 months post-stroke) designed to compare the effectiveness of the same rTMS protocol in both phases. Methods: Sixty-seven patients with left middle cerebral artery infarcts (28 chronic, 39 subacute) were recruited (01-2014 to 07-2019) and randomized to receive rTMS (N = 34) or sham stimulation (N = 33) with SLT for …

Dosage, Intensity, And Frequency Of Language Therapy For Aphasia: A Systematic Review-Based, Individual Participant Data Network Meta-Analysis., Rehabilitation And Recovery Of People With Aphasia After Stroke (Release) Collaborators, Jackie Hinckley

HPD Articles

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Optimizing speech and language therapy (SLT) regimens for maximal aphasia recovery is a clinical research priority. We examined associations between SLT intensity (hours/week), dosage (total hours), frequency (days/week), duration (weeks), delivery (face to face, computer supported, individual tailoring, and home practice), content, and language outcomes for people with aphasia.

METHODS: Databases including MEDLINE and Embase were searched (inception to September 2015). Published, unpublished, and emerging trials including SLT and ≥10 individual participant data on aphasia, language outcomes, and time post-onset were selected. Patient-level data on stroke, language, SLT, and trial risk of bias were independently extracted. Outcome …

Comparison Of Maintenance Gains From Two Treatment Approaches For Patients Diagnosed With Apraxia Of Speech And Broca’S Aphasia: A Critically Appraised Topic, Kalli B. Whiting

The Graduate Review

Three peer-reviewed research articles demonstrated benefits in using the articulatory-kinematic approaches of sound production treatment (SPT) and speech motor learning (SML) for intervention of patients diagnoses with apraxia of speech (AOS) concomitant with aphasia over the age of 50. This CAT was intended to review and compare the treatment maintenance between the two approaches using a specific search question; however, there was limited evidence for the specified population in that question. Although both approaches warranted positive outcomes, the SML approach may demonstrate a stronger linkage to the underlying features of apraxia of speech based on the method’s rationale. Through the …

An Aphasia Research Agenda – A Consensus Statement From The Collaboration Of Aphasia Trialists, Myzoon Ali, Efstathia Soroli, Luis M. T. Jesus, Madeline Cruice, Jytte Isaksen, Evy Visch-Brink, Kleanthes K. Grohmann, C. Jagoe, Tarja Kukkonen, Spyridoula Varlokosta, Carlos Hernandez-Sacristan, Vicente Rosell-Clari, Rebecca Palmer, Silvia Martinez-Ferreiro, Erin Godecke, Sarah J. Wallace, Ruth Mcmenamin, David Copland, Caterina Breitenstein, Audrey Bowen, Ann-Charlotte Laska, Katerina Hilari, Marian C. Brady

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Coordination of international aphasia research would minimise duplication of effort, support synergistic international activities across languages and multidisciplinary perspectives, and promote high-quality conduct and reporting of aphasia research, thereby increasing the relevance, transparency, and implementation of findings. The Collaboration of Aphasia Trialists (CATs) sought to develop an aphasia research agenda to direct future research activities, based on priorities shared by people with aphasia, family members, and healthcare professionals. Our established international research network spanning 33 countries contributed to this activity. Research literature reporting the priorities of stakeholders was reviewed and synthesized (phase 1). Representatives from Working Groups on Aphasia Assessment …