Stroke
Conditions
Keywords
aphasia, anomia, speech therapy, rehabilitation
Brief summary
In this study the investigators are examining the effectiveness of two different speech therapy protocols for word retrieval impairments experienced by individuals with stroke-induced aphasia. One treatment involves errorless naming treatment and the other employs verbal plus gestural facilitation of word retrieval. Participants will receive one of the two treatments over several months. Before and after treatment the investigators will administer several tests and conversational samples to examine changes associated with the treatments. The investigators hypothesize that, whereas both treatments will lead to improvements in words rehearsed in therapy, communication outcomes in conversation will be broader for the verbal plus gestural protocol.
Detailed description
In this study the investigators are examining the effectiveness of two different speech therapy protocols for word retrieval impairments experienced by individuals with stroke-induced aphasia. One treatment involves errorless naming treatment and the other employs verbal plus gestural facilitation of word retrieval. Participants will receive one of the two treatments over several months. Before and after treatment the investigators will administer several tests and conversational samples to examine changes associated with the treatments. The investigators hypothesize that, whereas both treatments will lead to improvements in words rehearsed in therapy, communication outcomes in conversation will be broader for the verbal plus gestural protocol.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALWord Retrieval Treatments for Aphasia
Speech therapy sessions take place 4 times per week for up to 90 minutes per session. Following a phase of baseline pre-testing, two phases of speech therapy will take place lasting up to 20 sessions per phase. Post-testing will take place immediately upon completion of the treatment phases and again at 1 month post study completion.
Sponsors
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Old Dominion University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Investigator)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
21 Years to 90 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* left hemisphere stroke \>4 months earlier * aphasia with word retrieval impairments * \>21 years of age right handed * speaker of English as the preferred language * \>6 grade education
Exclusion criteria
* history of developmental learning difficulties * history of prior neurological illnesses * chronic medical illnesses that restrict participation in speech therapy * alcohol or drug dependence * severe uncorrected impairments of vision or hearing
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Daily Probe Picture Naming | daily probes from three times per week for up to 3 months and one month posttreatment |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Western Aphasia Battery | pre-treatment and at treatment completion |
| Boston Naming Test | pretreatment and at treatment completion |
| Discourse Sample | pre-treatment and at treatment completion |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed