Abstract
Objective
To explore the effect of complexity and feedback on script training outcomes in aphasia
Design
Randomized balanced single-blind 2 × 2 factorial design.
Setting
Freestanding urban rehabilitation hospital.
Participants
Adults with fluent and nonfluent aphasia (at least 6 months post onset).
Interventions
Experimental treatment was AphasiaScripts, a computer-based script training program.
Scripts were 10-turns long and developed at different complexity levels to allow for
comparison of high vs low complexity. The program was modified to contrast high vs
low feedback conditions during sentence practice. Participants were instructed to
practice three 30-minute sessions per day, 6 days per week for 3 weeks.
Main Outcome Measures
Gains achieved from baseline in accuracy and rate of production of trained and untrained
script sentences at post treatment and at 3-, 6-, and 12-weeks after the end of treatment.
Results
Sixteen participants completed the intervention. On the trained script, gains were
statistically significant for both accuracy and words per minute at post treatment
and 3-, 6-, and 12-week maintenance. Gains on the untrained script were smaller than
on the trained script; they were statistically significant only for accuracy at post
treatment and 3-week maintenance. Complexity had an influence on accuracy at post-treatment
(F1=4.8391, P=.0501) and at maintenance (F1=5.3391, P=.0413). Practicing scripts with high complexity increased accuracy by 11.33% at post
treatment and by 9.90% at maintenance compared with scripts with low complexity. Participants
with nonfluent aphasia made greater gains than those with fluent aphasia. There was
no significant effect of feedback.
Conclusions
This study reinforces script training as a treatment option for aphasia. Results highlight
the use of more complex scripts to better promote acquisition and maintenance of script
production skills. There is a need for further investigation of these variables with
larger samples and with other types of aphasia treatments.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
AQ (Aphasia Quotient), SE (speech entrainment), WAB-R (Western Aphasia Battery-Revised), wpm (words per minute)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 15, 2022
Accepted:
March 10,
2022
Received in revised form:
March 8,
2022
Received:
May 24,
2021
Footnotes
Supported by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, Award Nos. 1R01 DC011754 and 1R01 DC016979 to L.R.C. and S.V.V.
Clinical Trial Registration No.: NCT01597037.
Disclosures: Dr Cherney reports that AphasiaScripts is commercially available from the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. Dr Cherney receives salary from the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab but has no financial interest in the software sales.
This paper is part of a supplement from the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine.
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine.
