Evaluation of a new conversation-focused therapy for agrammatism

After a stroke many people develop aphasia, a difficulty speaking and understanding speech. Some have a particular difficulty with sentences, agrammatic aphasia, where they only say key words, for example ‘yesterday, doctors’. Speech and language therapists help people use full sentences by describing pictures, but people often carry on using key words in conversation at home.

New research shows that people use different sentence types in picture description compared with conversation. Therefore therapy to improve sentences may have more effect if it works directly on conversation.

The proposed study aims to test this new therapy with ten people with agrammatic aphasia, each working in a pair with their spouse, a family member or friend. Tests will be carried out before and after the therapy, to measure its effectiveness. The findings will lead to the publication of the therapy as a rehabilitation programme for use by speech and language therapists.

Scientific title: The evaluation of a novel conversation-focused therapy for agrammatism

Classification:
Rehabilitation, Carers and Patients

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