Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-17T14:39:24.693Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

An Exploration of the Impact of Group Treatment for Aphasia on Connected Speech

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 January 2020

Catherine Mason Open the ORCID record for Catherine Mason [Opens in a new window] ,
Lyndsey Nickels  and
Belinda McDonald
Catherine Mason*
Affiliation:
Department of Cognitive Science, ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Macquarie University, Sydney 2113, Australia
Lyndsey Nickels
Affiliation:
Department of Cognitive Science, ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Macquarie University, Sydney 2113, Australia
Belinda McDonald
Affiliation:
St. Vincent’s Health, Sydney 2010, Australia
*
*Correspondence and reprint requests to: Catherine Mason, Department of Cognitive Science, Macquarie University, 16 University Ave, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia. E-mail: catherine.mason@mq.edu.au
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective:

Group treatment enables people with aphasia to practise communication skills outside the typical clinician–patient dyad. While there is evidence that this treatment format can improve participation in everyday communication, there is little evidence it impacts linguistic abilities. This project aimed to investigate the effects of ‘typical’ group treatment on the communication skills of people with aphasia with a focus on word retrieval in discourse.

Methods:

Three people with aphasia took part in a 6-week group therapy programme. Each week focused on a different topic, and three topics also received a home programme targeting word retrieval. The six treated topics were compared with two control topics, with regard to language production in connected speech. Semistructured interviews were collected twice prior to treatment and twice following the treatment and analysed using (a) word counts; (b) the profile of word errors and retrieval in speech; (c) a measure of propositional idea density, and (d) perceptual discourse ratings.

Results:

Two participants showed no significant improvements; one participant showed significant improvement on discourse ratings.

Conclusions:

This study provides limited support for group treatment, leading to improved communication as measured by semistructured interviews, even when supplemented with a home programme. We suggest that either group treatment, as implemented here, was not an effective approach for improving communication for our participants and/or that outcome measurement was limited by difficulty assessing changes in connected speech.

Keywords

AphasiaAcquired language disorderGroup treatmentGroup therapySpeech-language pathologySpeech pathologyAnomiaConnected speech
Type
Regular Research
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 26 , Special Issue 1: Rehabilitation , January 2020 , pp. 72 - 85
Copyright
Copyright © INS. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2020. 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

ABC TV (producer). (2004–2012). Australian story [television series]. Australia: Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Google Scholar
Antonucci, S.M. (2009). Use of semantic feature analysis in group aphasia treatment. Aphasiology, 23(7–8), 854–866. DOI: 10.1080/02687030802634405 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aten, J.L., Caligiuri, M.P., & Holland, A.L. (1982). The efficacy of functional communication therapy for chronic aphasic patients. Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders, 47(1), 93–96. DOI: 10.1044/jshd.4701.93 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berarducci, M.A. (2008). The stability of discourse measures. (Unpublished Master’s Thesis) Macquarie University, Australia.Google Scholar
Best, W., Grassly, J., Greenwood, A., Herbert, R., Hickin, J., & Howard, D. (2011). A controlled study of changes in conversation following aphasia therapy for anomia. Disability and rehabilitation, 33(3), 229–242. DOI: 10.3109/09638288.2010.534230 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Best, W., Howard, D., Bruce, C., & Gatehouse, C. (1997). Cueing the words: A single case study of treatments for anomia. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 7(2), 105–141. DOI: 10.1080/096020197390211 Google Scholar
Bollinger, R.L., Musson, N.D., & Holland, A.L. (1993). A study of group communication intervention with chronically aphasic persons. Aphasiology, 7(3), 301–313. DOI: 10.1080/02687039308249512 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boyle, M. (2011). Discourse treatment for word retrieval impairment in aphasia: The story so far. Aphasiology, 25(11), 1308–1326. DOI: 10.1080/02687038.2011.596185 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boyle, M. (2014). Test–retest stability of word retrieval in aphasic discourse. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 57(3), 966–978. DOI: 10.1044/2014_JSLHR-L-13-0171 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, C.S. & Cullinan, W.L. (1981). Word-retrieval difficulty and disfluent speech in adult anomic speakers. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 24(3), 358–365. DOI: 10.1044/jshr.2403.358 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, C., Snodgrass, T., & Covington, M. (2007). Computerized propositional idea density rater 3 (CPIDR 3), CASPR Project, Artificial Intelligence Centre, University of Georgia.Google Scholar
Bryant, L., Spencer, E., Ferguson, A., Craig, H., Colyvas, K., & Worrall, L. (2013). Propositional Idea Density in aphasic discourse. Aphasiology, 27(8), 992–1009. DOI: 10.1080/02687038.2013.803514 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carragher, M., Conroy, P., Sage, K., & Wilkinson, R. (2012). Can impairment-focused therapy change the everyday conversations of people with aphasia? A review of the literature and future directions. Aphasiology, 26(7), 895–916. DOI: 10.1080/02687038.2012.676164 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cartwright, J. & Elliott, K. (2009). Promoting strategic television viewing in the context of progressive language impairment. Aphasiology, 23(2), 266–285. DOI:10.1080/02687030801942932 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Croot, K., Taylor, C., Abel, S., Jones, K., Krein, L., Hameister, I., Ruggero, L., & Nickels, L. (2015). Measuring gains in connected speech following treatment for word retrieval: A study with two participants with primary progressive aphasia. Aphasiology, 29(11), 1265–1288. DOI: 10.1080/02687038.2014.975181 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dietz, A. & Boyle, M. (2018). Discourse measurement in aphasia research: Have we reached the tipping point? Aphasiology, 32(4), 459–464. DOI: 10.1080/02687038.2017.1398803 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eales, C. & Pring, T. (1998). Using individual and group therapy to remediate word finding difficulties. Aphasiology, 12(10), 913–918. DOI: 10.1080/02687039808249459 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elman, R.J. (2007). The importance of aphasia group treatment for rebuilding community and health. Topics in Language Disorders, 27(4), 300–308. DOI: 10.1097/01.TLD.0000299884.31864.99 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elman, R.J. & Bernstein-Ellis, E. (1999). The efficacy of group communication treatment in adults with chronic aphasia. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 42(2), 411–419. DOI: 10.1044/jslhr.4202.411 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Falconer, C. & Antonucci, S.M. (2012). Use of semantic feature analysis in group discourse treatment for aphasia: Extension and expansion. Aphasiology, 26(1), 64–82. DOI: 10.1080/02687038.2011.602390 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fama, M.E., Baron, C.R., Hatfield, B., & Turkeltaub, P.E. (2016). Group therapy as a social context for aphasia recovery: A pilot, observational study in an acute rehabilitation hospital. Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation, 23(4), 276–283. DOI: 10.1080/10749357.2016.1155277 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fergadiotis, G. & Wright, H.H. (2011). Lexical diversity for adults with and without aphasia across discourse elicitation tasks. Aphasiology, 25(11), 1414–1430. DOI: 10.1080/02687038.2011.603898 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goodglass, H. & Wingfield, A. (Eds.). (1997). Anomia: Neuroanatomical and cognitive correlates. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Herbert, R., Best, W., Hickin, J., Howard, D., & Osborne, F. (Eds.). (2012), POWERS: Profile of word errors and retrieval in speech. Albury, UK: J & R Press.Google Scholar
Herbert, R., Hickin, J., Howard, D., Osborne, F., & Best, W. (2008). Do picture-naming tests provide a valid assessment of lexical retrieval in conversation in aphasia? Aphasiology, 22(2), 184–203. DOI: 10.1080/02687030701262613 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hickin, J., Best, W., Herbert, R., Howard, D., & Osborne, F. (2001). Treatment of word retrieval in aphasia: Generalisation to conversational speech. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 36(S1), 13–18. DOI:10.3109/13682820109177851 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Howard, D., Best, W., & Nickels, L. (2015). Optimising the design of intervention studies: Critiques and ways forward. Aphasiology, 29(5), 526–562. DOI: 10.1080/02687038.2014.985884 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kearns, K.P. & Elman, R.J. (2001). Group therapy for aphasia: Theoretical and practical considerations, In Chapey, R. (Ed.), Language intervention strategies in aphasia and related neurogenic communication disorders (4th ed., pp. 316–337). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.Google Scholar
Kemper, S. & Sumner, A. (2001). The structure of verbal abilities in young and older adults. Psychology and Aging, 16(2), 312–322. DOI: 10.1037/0882-7974.16.2.312 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lanyon, L.E., Rose, M.L. & Worrall, L. (2013). The efficacy of outpatient and community-based aphasia group interventions: A systematic review. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 15(4), 359–374. DOI: 10.3109/17549507.2012.752865 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Le Dorze, G., Boulay, N., Gaudreau, J., & Brassard, C. (1994). The contrasting effects of a semantic versus a formal—semantic technique for the facilitation of naming in a case of anomia. Aphasiology, 8(2), 127–141. DOI: 10.1080/02687039408248646 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maher, L.M., Kendall, D., Swearengin, J.A., Rodriguez, A., Leon, S.A., Pingel, K., Holland, A., & Rothi, L.J. G. (2006). A pilot study of use-dependent learning in the context of constraint induced language therapy. Journal of the international Neuropsychological Society, 12(6), 843–852. DOI: 10.1017/S1355617706061029 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mason, C., Nickels, L., McDonald, B., Moses, M., Makin, K., & Taylor, C. (2011). Treatment of word retrieval impairments in aphasia: Evaluation of a self-administered home programme using personally chosen words. Aphasiology, 25(2), 245–268. DOI: 10.1080/02687038.2010.489258 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meinzer, M., Djundja, D., Barthel, G., Elbert, T., & Rockstroh, B. 2005. Long-term stability of improved language functions in chronic aphasia after constraint-induced aphasia therapy. Stroke, 36(7), 1462–1466. DOI: 10.1161/01.STR.0000169941.29831.2a CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nicholas, L.E. & Brookshire, R.H. (1993). A system for quantifying the informativeness and efficiency of the connected speech of adults with aphasia. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 36(2), 338–350. DOI: 10.1044/jshr.3602.338 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nickels, L. (2002). Therapy for naming disorders: Revisiting, revising, and reviewing, Aphasiology, 16(10–11), 935–979. DOI: 10.1080/02687030244000563 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nickels, L. & Best, W. (1996). Therapy for naming disorders (part I): Principles, puzzles and progress. Aphasiology, 10(1), 21–47. DOI: 10.1080/02687039608248397 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nickels, L., McDonald, B., & Mason, C. (2016). The impact of group therapy on word retrieval in people with chronic aphasia. NeuroRehabilitation, 39(1), 81–95. DOI: 10.3233/NRE-161340 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pulvermüller, F., Neininger, B., Elbert, T., Mohr, B., Rockstroh, B., Koebbel, P., & Taub, E. (2001). Constraint-induced therapy of chronic aphasia after stroke. Stroke, 32(7), 1621–1626. DOI: 10.1161/01.str.32.7.1621 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Renvall, K., Nickels, L., & Davidson, B. (2013). Functionally relevant items in the treatment of aphasia (part I): Challenges for current practice. Aphasiology, 27(6), 636–650. DOI: 10.1080/02687038.2013.786804 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Swinburn, K., Porter, G., & Howard, D. 2005. Comprehensive aphasia test, Hove, UK: Psychology Press.Google Scholar
Verna, A., Davidson, B., & Rose, T. (2009). Speech-language pathology services for people with aphasia: A survey of current practice in Australia. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 11(3), 191–205. DOI: 10.1080/17549500902726059 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wallace, S.J., Worrall, L., Rose, T., & Le Dorze, G. (2014). Measuring outcomes in aphasia research: A review of current practice and an agenda for standardisation. Aphasiology, 28(11), 1364–1384. DOI: 10.1080/02687038.2014.930262 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wallace, S.J., Worrall, L., Rose, T., & Le Dorze, G. (2016). Core outcomes in aphasia treatment research: An e-Delphi consensus study of international aphasia researchers. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 25(4S), 729–742. DOI: 10.1044/2016_AJSLP-15-0150 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Webster, J., Whitworth, A., & Morris, J. (2015). Is it time to stop “fishing”? A review of generalisation following aphasia intervention. Aphasiology, 29(11), 1240–1264. DOI:10.1080/02687038.2015.1027169 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wertz, R.T., Collins, M.J., Weiss, D., Kurtzke, J.F., Friden, T., Brookshire, R.H., & West, J.A. (1981). Veterans Administration cooperative study on aphasia: A comparison of individual and group treatment. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 24(4), 580–594. DOI:10.1044/jshr.2404.580 CrossRefGoogle Scholar