Achieving a common understanding of a person with aphasia’s self-assessments of progress in speech and communication

Abstract

This article demonstrates how a person with aphasia (PWA) and a speech and language therapist (SLT) collaboratively arrive at a common understanding of the PWAs assessments of his progress in speech and communication. This is done as part of a mandatory outcome evaluation of aphasia therapy. Interactional adaptive strategies known from Supported Conversation for Adults with Aphasia (SCA) are used. By making use of conversation analysis we analyse an assessment sequence initiated with an open question and a sequence initiated with several closed questions and pen and paper. The analyses confirm that adaptive strategies may lead to communication characterized by less interactional trouble, i.e. ‘repair’. The analyses also point at how question formatting and sequential organization may be used to guide, model and transform the PWA’s answers. Building on previous research as well as participants’ displayed understandings in the interaction we discuss perspectives of using SCA strategies in institutional interaction involving PWA.