Aphasia Management Research Articles

Further Thoughts Regarding Management of Acute Aphasia Following Stroke

Further Thoughts Regarding Management of Acute Aphasia Following Stroke

Assessment and management of aphasia in a linguistically diverse society

AbstractThis paper reports the results of a survey conducted in metropolitan Sydney, Australia, which was designed to look at the assessment and treatment practices adopted by speech-language pathologists when working with individuals with aphasia from language backgrounds other than English. The results of the survey high-light a number of areas of concern for speech-language pathologists. These include the need for a range of appropriate assessment and treatment materials, as well as the need to improve the way that speech-language pathologists and interpreters work cooperatively in the assessment and treatment of aphasia in a linguistically diverse environment. The study also revealed that many speech-language pathologists wish to improve aspects of their own knowledge and skills relevant to their work with individuals who come from a variety of language and cultural backgrounds. These needs, some of the ways in which they might be addressed, and their implications in terms of further research are disc...

Long-Term Care Approaches to Aphasia Treatment and Management

Long-Term Care Approaches to Aphasia Treatment and Management

Aphasia Management Considered in the Context of the World Health Organization Model of Disablements

Approaches to the management of individuals with aphasia are numerous, heterogeneous, and individualized. Treatment varies with the unique constellation of symptoms, goals, and residual abilities of each patient. This article considers aphasia management within the context of the World Health Organization model of disablements.

Characteristics and Management of Primary Progressive Aphasia

Characteristics and Management of Primary Progressive Aphasia

Aphasia assessment and therapy using hypertext-related tasks

This paper discusses the potential usefulness of hypertext tools in communication disorders, particularly in aphasia assessment and therapy. The assessment of language comprehension abilities can be enhanced by evaluating patient performance on information-retrieval tasks. Hypertext tools can be used to gather information about patients' planning abilities and their semantic understanding of the available information. The paper explores the use of hypertext for generating therapy material which works with existing methods of aphasia therapy, and highlights its importance in evaluating verbal and non-verbal abilities. Patient performance on hypertext-related tasks can be quantified with the proposed parameters which quantify the degree of language deficit through information retrieval and understanding processess. These parameters need to be tested for their importance in outcome management:whether they are sensitive enough to measure changes or not. The role of hypertext applications in developing therapy exercise is discussed. The advantages of hypertext tools in single case-studies is highlighted, and an active role for hypertext applications in aphasia management is suggested.

Communication Use and Participation in Life for Adults With Aphasia in Natural Settings

Ensuring effective use of communication and participation in life for adults with aphasia in their natural settings may require broader and more extensive interventions than previously envisioned or actively managed by speechlanguage pathologists. Acquired brain damage unquestionably diminishes the extent to which adults with aphasia make use of communication and participation in daily life. But optimal management of aphasia extends beyond an anatomic-physiologic basis of dysfunction or even concentrated efforts to remediate linguistic or communication disabilities. Past failures to achieve a solution to this problem may be more because of what is absent from aphasia treatment than the improper or incomplete repair or management of what currently is treated. Treatment may require inclusion and active integration of a means of managing the psychosocial handicap of the aphasia. However, with an expanded scope to aphasia treatment, the methods of inquiry must be equally appropriate for discerning pertinent facts about optimal functioning of adults with aphasia in natural settings. This topic, the epistemology of the problem, is the subject of a forthcoming publication.

The diversity of speech and language therapy services for aphasic adults in the United Kingdom.

Data on aphasia management were collected by questionnaires to UK speech and language therapists. Returns representing over 90% of health districts were obtained. Variation amongst districts is evident in levels of staffing for the adult neurological case load, and in speed of response to referral, frequency and types of treatment available, and in other forms of support for patients and carers. Although individual therapists or districts are able to adhere to some of the professional recommendations for a 'quality' service, few are able to provide this high level of care in all aspects of aphasia management.

Discourse Considerations for Aphasia Management

Discourse Considerations for Aphasia Management

Microcomputers in assessment, rehabilitation and recreation

Abstract One ofthe most important questions in the field of rehabilitation relates to the rate and extent of recovery in the damaged central nervous system, and whether and/or how this can actually be influenced by therapy. Unlike Katz, I do not feel that these questions have been answered. There is much contradictory evidence and it is easy only to cite the literature that supports one's own personal view! Thus my perspective of the use of microcomputers in aphasia management would be fundamentally different to that of Katz. Essentially I see that microcomputers will be able to assist us to answer some of these questions and therefore to improve our scientific understanding and improve our treatment of aphasia from a sounder base of knowledge.

The effectiveness of simultaneous cues on naming disturbance in aphasia

The effects of increased information redundancy on word retrieval in aphasic patients was investigated in this study. Protocols involved combining five types of cues commonly utilized in aphasia management into eight pairs, each of which could be presented simultaneously. The resulting cue combinations were presented to 16 anterior lesion aphasic subjects who manifested mild to severe word-finding difficulty. All of the combinations were effective in facilitating picture-naming performance, with the severe group demonstrating the most dramatic improvement when simultaneous prompts were utilized. A cueing hierarchy incorporating increased stimulus redundancy is supported.

Aphasia Management: The Neurologist's Role

Aphasia Management: The Neurologist's Role

Aphasia Management: The Speech Pathologist's Role

Aphasia Management: The Speech Pathologist's Role

Contingency Management in the Treatment of Adult Aphasia: A Review

The body of literature on contingency management of adult aphasia is relatively small, and possible reasons for this paucity of research are discussed. Some methodological problems involved in applying operant procedures to a disorder as complex as aphasia are also considered. The published reports are reviewed critically to establish the efficacy of contingencies in modifying aphasic behaviour, both verbal and non-verbal. Although most of the studies showed behaviour change, in most instances the change could not be attributed solely to the use of contingencies.