Patient-Reported Changes in Communication After Computer-Based Script Training for Aphasia

Manheim LM, Halper AS, Cherney L. Patient-reported changes in communication after computer-based script training for aphasia.ObjectiveTo evaluate changes in patient-reported communication difficulty after a home-based, computer-delivered intervention designed to improve conversational skills in adults with aphasia.DesignDelayed treatment design with baseline, preintervention, postintervention, and follow-up observations.SettingOutpatient rehabilitation.ParticipantsTwenty subjects with chronic aphasia.InterventionsSessions with the speech-language pathologist to develop personally relevant conversational scripts, followed by 9 weeks of intensive home practice using a computer program loaded on a laptop, and weekly monitoring visits with the speech-language pathologist.Main Outcome MeasureCommunication Difficulty (CD) subscale of the Burden of Stroke Scale (BOSS).ResultsThe intervention resulted in a statistically and clinically significant decrease of 6.79 points (P=.038) in the CD subscale of the BOSS during the intervention, maintained during the follow-up period.ConclusionsThe findings of this study provide positive albeit preliminary and limited support for the use of a home-based, computer-delivered language intervention program for improving patient-reported communication outcomes in adults with chronic aphasia. Additional research will be required to examine the efficacy and effectiveness of this intervention.