Conversation Group Treatment for Aphasia: Does it Work?

Summary

The proposed research will test the efficacy of group conversation treatment for people with aphasia and explore whether the effects of treatment differ as a result of the following factors:

1. Group size: Do large groups of 6-8 people with aphasia or dyads of 2 people with aphasia demonstrate different levels of improvement with this treatment?
2. Group composition: Do effects of conversation group treatment differ if the groups include members with similar or different types of aphasia?
3. Aphasia severity: Do effects of conversation group treatment differ if the individuals within the group have mild-moderate or moderate-severe profiles of aphasia?

Treatment sessions will occur in groups of 6-8 people with aphasia or with 2 people with aphasia. During treatment sessions, discourse will be facilitated on a focused set of every day topics, such as current events or travel. Linguistic and multi modal cueing hierarchies will be tailored to individual client goals and used to maximize communication success.

The prediction is that conversation treatment is an effective method for improving communication in people with aphasia, but that specific benefits may differ based on variables such as group size, group composition, and aphasia severity. The results will help inform best practices for aphasia treatment and refine a hypothesized model about the mechanisms underlying conversation treatment.

Conditions

• Aphasia, Acquired

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Conversation Treatment for Aphasia

Conversation treatment is a theoretically motivated approach in which a speech language pathologist facilitates discourse about topics of interest to the client using individualized, multi-modal supports. Treatment occurs either in groups of 6-8 people with aphasia or 2 people with aphasia. Individual communication goals are targeted for each group member within the context of naturalistic conversations.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Temple University

  collaborator OTHER

• Adler Aphasia Center

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Boston University Charles River Campus

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Elizabeth Hoover, PhD · Boston University

• Gayle DeDe, PhD · Temple University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

85 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2022-04-15

Primary Completion

2025-12-31

Completion

2026-04-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations