Development of a Thai naming application for clients with aphasia

Abstract

Background: Aphasia, as brain damage resulting from a stroke, results in language impairment, including speaking, auditory comprehension, reading, and writing. Modern technology enhances self-administered recovery training, allowing clients to restore and improve communication. Objectives: This study developed and assessed the effectiveness of an application on Android mobile devices for language rehabilitation with an emphasis on picture naming. Materials and methods: A small sample research design was conducted with five primary caregivers and five clients with aphasia. The study was divided into two steps: application development and implementation using a single-subject experimental research design. This research design was divided into three phases: (1) Phase A1, a baseline of 2 weeks before applying the training; (2) Phase B, a training period of 6 weeks; and (3) Phase A2, a withdrawal period of 4 weeks. The total study period was 12 weeks. Results: The naming rehabilitation application was assessed by visual graphical data analysis, with differences analyzed at each phase interval. After using the application for six weeks, the naming scores of the participants as clients were measured by the Thai Adaptation of the Western Aphasia Battery test (WAB). Results showed increased naming scores while the clients developed their naming skills using the application. Conclusion: This application enhanced the clients’ naming skills and reduced the time taken to name the words when conducting repetitive stimulation exercises in the form of intensive training combined with various cueing techniques. This application promoted the ability of clients with word-finding difficulties to retrieve words.