Telerehabilitation with Verb Network Strengthening Treatment (VNeST) in two participants with mild-to-moderate and moderate-to-severe aphasia: A single-case experimental design study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background Verb Network Strengthening Treatment (VNeST) is a verb-centred aphasia treatment that targets the semantic relationships between a verb (e.g., dig) and related content words (e.g., gardener, hole), aiming to promote word retrieval and sentence production in aphasia. Previous research shows promising results of VNeST in several participants. Aims This study investigates the effects of VNeST through telerehabilitation on word retrieval and sentence production with treated and semantically related untreated verbs, as well as the possible generalisation to confrontation naming and connected speech. Further, functional communication, communicative participation, health-related quality of life and client satisfaction are explored. Methods and Procedures A single-case experimental design study with multiple baselines was conducted with two participants with stroke-induced mild-to-moderate Broca’s aphasia or moderate-to-severe Wernicke’s aphasia who received VNeST through telerehabilitation. Percentage of non-overlapping data, Baseline Corrected Tau and d-index effect size were used to measure improvement in word retrieval and sentence production elicited through video-clip stimuli. The study is registered with ClinicTrials.gov, number NCT05152979. Outcomes and Results The participant with Wernicke’s aphasia improved in word retrieval in sentences with trained and untrained verbs and showed some – albeit limited – generalisation to confrontation naming of nouns and verbs. The participant with Broca’s aphasia withdrew after half of the planned dosage, as he did not consider VNeST suitable for his needs. He did not improve in word retrieval or sentence production. Conclusions VNeST shows promise when it comes to improving word retrieval in trained and semantically related untrained stimuli in moderate-to-severe Wernicke’s aphasia. This study adds to the existing literature by showing potential improvement in VNeST through telerehabilitation.