For the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification Networking Group of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine

Abstract

As members of the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification Networking Group of the American Congress of Rehabilitation, we want to express our appreciation for the collection of articles applying the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System (RTSS) to the domain of aphasia therapy. 1 Basilakos A Hula WD Phillip Johnson L et al. Defining the neurobiological mechanisms of action in aphasia therapies: applying the RTSS framework to research and practice in aphasia. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2022; 103: 581-589 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (1) Google Scholar , 2 Boyle M Gordon JK Harnish SM et al. Evaluating cognitive-linguistic approaches to interventions for aphasia within the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2022; 103: 590-598 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (3) Google Scholar , 3 Cherney LR DeDe G Hoover EL et al. Applying the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System to functional communication treatment approaches for aphasia. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2022; 103: 599-609 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (1) Google Scholar , 4 Fridriksson J Basilakos A Boyle M et al. Demystifying the complexity of aphasia treatment: application of the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2022; 103: 574-580 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (1) Google Scholar Overall, the overview and 3 accompanying articles that apply the RTSS to neurobiological, cognitive-linguistic, and functional communication treatment approaches offered a positive assessment of the utility of the RTSS. The authors argued that the RTSS's conceptual framework could improve the design and replication of aphasia treatment research and the aggregation of evidence across studies. They also postulated that the RTSS can help educators train, clinicians deliver, and supervisors ensure the fidelity of evidence-based aphasia treatments. 4 Fridriksson J Basilakos A Boyle M et al. Demystifying the complexity of aphasia treatment: application of the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2022; 103: 574-580 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (1) Google Scholar Achieving these effects will ultimately require effort to implement and disseminate RTSS-based treatment descriptions. Thus, the authors explored the potential benefits of applying the RTSS to specific aphasia therapies as well as the challenges they encountered in doing so.