Listening to self-advocacy scripts produced by speakers with Broca’s aphasia and apraxia of speech: thoughts and emotions reported by unfamiliar communication partners

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background Self-advocacy scripts are brief, scripted narratives that people with aphasia (PWA) use to self-disclose their aphasia, explain what it is, and request supportive communicative behaviors from communication partners (CPs). In previous research, PWA have reported that self-advocacy statements, including self-advocacy scripts, facilitate their interactions with unfamiliar CPs. To understand the benefits of self-advocacy scripts, it is important to directly investigate how unfamiliar CPs respond to them. Aims The aim of this study was to characterize the thoughts and emotions reported by unfamiliar adults after listening to self-advocacy scripts produced by speakers with Broca’s aphasia and apraxia of speech. Methods & Procedures This experimental study included 238 adult research participants without aphasia. Each participant was randomly assigned to listen to one script produced by a speaker with Broca’s aphasia and apraxia of speech: either a self-advocacy script or a control script about the weather that does not mention the speaker’s aphasia. Then, they answered one open-ended question (analyzed using a codebook approach) and eight rating scale questions (analyzed using Bayesian linear regression) about the thoughts and emotions they experienced while listening to the speaker. Outcomes & Results Compared to the control script, the self-advocacy script improved listeners’ knowledge about the speakers’ condition, their perception of the speakers’ intelligence, and their patience and empathy for the speakers. Conclusions Aphasia self-advocacy scripts can have powerful, positive effects on unfamiliar listeners. The present results highlight the importance of providing support in clinical practice for collaborative development of self-advocacy scripts between people with aphasia and their clinicians.