Aphasia: A mixed methods investigation into the impact of semantic activation therapy with and without word finding: preliminary results from a single therapy trial.

Abstract

Abstract introduction Aphasia is a multimodality language difficulty experienced by people who have a left sided stroke. Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) who work with People with Aphasia (PWA) often provide word finding therapy because wfd are one of the most debilitating effects of aphasic language loss. The majority of published word finding research uses mixed therapy techniques in which PWA practise accessing, using and combining sounds and words. This therapy trial is one of only three case studies that describe PWA receiving therapy that is purely semantic. Semantic therapy is particularly relevant to people with severe aphasia. This is because the evidence base underpinning language therapy for PWA supports therapy for people who can talk: very little research addresses the problems of those who have very limited access to output. This case study was designed to add to the evidence base that supports language therapy for people with severe aphasia who have no access to propositional speech.

Abstract Method This paper reports on a single therapy trial conducted within a cohort of ten individual semantic therapy trails. Research design incorporated best practise recommendations for therapy studies (Brady et al, 2012, Tate et al, 2008 and Moher et al 2001). In the first six weeks of this single therapy trial, P participated in six therapy sessions of semantic therapy with word finding (SAT with). In a further six weeks of therapy P was provided with semantic therapy without word finding (SAT without). Results and conclusions Descriptive and statistical analysis of the impact of therapy suggested that P’s word finding skills improved after both types of semantic therapy. The effects of therapy generalised and were permanent. There was some suggestion that SAT with therapy was more successful that SAT without therapy, but this difference may have been attributable to an order effect. This abstract provides single clinical case evidence to support impairment based semantic therapy for people with severe aphasia.