ECoLoGiC Speech Therapy for Everyday Communication in Aphasia

Summary

The primary goal of this clinical trial study is to evaluate the effect of a new therapy to improve talking in people with the language disability 'aphasia' after a stroke. The therapy is called: 'Expanding Communication and Language Generated in Conversation Treatment' (ECoLoGiC Treatment), and helps improve language skills for talking to other people in conversation. The second goal is to develop training materials to teach families of people with aphasia about the therapy and how to practice at home. This part of the study will be completed with help from two people with aphasia and a family member who have completed the program.

The study asks:

1. How do people with aphasia improve their language skills following this therapy? Results will be determined by using tests of language and by testing language in conversation and other types of talking tasks, like describing a picture.
2. After completing the family training, do family members use the ideas they learned when talking to the person with aphasia? And, what do family members and people with aphasia think of the family training? The first question will be answered with a checklist to see if the family members followed the ideas they learned. The second question will be answered by talking with the people with aphasia and the family members to find out what they thought.

The people with aphasia will complete language testing before and after therapy, and 6 weeks later (to see if improvements are maintained). Therapy is twice a week for one hour, for 10 weeks with a speech-language pathologist. During therapy, the person will have casual conversations with the speech-language pathologist, who will help the person communicate by giving small amounts of help at a time. The speech-language pathologist will tell the person what they are doing that does and does not help with communication. This process helps the person use more language and learn how to communicate better. The family members will have training with the speech-language pathologists to learn about the therapy and how to continue with the ideas at home. Training will take place over 3 sessions, scheduled in addition to therapy sessions. After therapy ends, the family members will have conversations with the person with aphasia, to show what they have learned. Each family member and person with aphasia will also have a 10-20 minute conversation with a researcher to share their thoughts about the training program.

Conditions

• Aphasia

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Expanding Communication and Language Generated in Conversation Treatment

ECoLoGiC Treatment is a behavioral therapy developed to improve language abilities in everyday conversation for people with aphasia. It is delivered through therapeutic use of spontaneous conversational interactions between a speech-language pathologist and a person with aphasia. ECoLoGiC Treatment is based on theories of conversational interaction in adults without communication disorders, as well as on theories of neuroplasticity, rehabilitation, and learning. The therapy consists of two components: a) Therapeutic Conversation, during which the pair discuss any topic of interest to the person with aphasia, while the speech-language pathologist uses techniques to promote social interaction; and b) Therapeutic Repair, used when communication breakdown occurs. At this time, the speech-language pathologist implements the intervention's 7-step least-to-most hierarchy, supporting the person's independence and learning in communicative problem-solving to communicate the desired idea.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)

  collaborator NIH

• University of Kansas Medical Center

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Marion Leaman, PhD · University of Kansas Medical Center

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

85 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-01-03

Primary Completion

2024-06-30

Completion

2024-06-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations