# Setting a Research Agenda for the Assessment and Treatment of Aphasia in Minority Languages

Ana Matić Škorić, Marie Pourquié, Monica Norvik, Jelena Kuvač Kraljević, Hanne Gram Simonsen, Silvia Martinez-Ferreiro, Valantis Fyndanis, Amaia Munarriz-Ibarrola, Eva Soroli, Anthony Pak-Hin Kong, et al.

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## To cite this version:

Ana Matić Škorić, Marie Pourquié, Monica Norvik, Jelena Kuvač Kraljević, Hanne Gram Simonsen, et al. Setting a Research Agenda for the Assessment and Treatment of Aphasia in Minority Languages. International Science of Aphasia Conference, University of Copenhagen, Sep 2025, Copenhagen. pp.202-205. hal-05337166

HAL Id: hal-05337166

https://hal.science/hal-05337166v1

Submitted on 29 Oct 2025

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# STEM-, SPRAAK- EN TAALPATHOLOGIE

## Abstracts of Science of Aphasia Conference 2025
Copenhagen, 15-18 September 2025

### Programme:

Day 1 (15/09/2025 Monday)

Theme: Language and the cerebellum

09.45-10.45

Keynote: Catherine Stoodley

11.00-12.00

Keynote: Stefanie Keulen

12.00-12.30

Discussion

12.30-13.00

3-minute poster presentation pitches

13.00-15.00

Lunch & Poster session 1

15.00-17.00

Oral presentations 1

Day 2 (16/09/2025 Tuesday)

Theme: AI in clinical populations

09.00-10.00

Keynote: Ina Kodrasi

10.00-11.00

Keynote: Roelant Ossewaarde

11.30-12.00

Discussion

12.00-12.30

3-minute poster presentation pitches

12.30-14.30

Lunch & Poster session 2

14.30-16.30

Oral presentations 2

Day 3 (17/09/2025 Wednesday)

Theme: Crosslinguistic aphasia and linguistic theory

09.00-10.00

Keynote: Mira Goral

10.00-11.00

Keynote: Silvia Martínez-Ferreiro

11.30-12.00

Discussion

12.00-12.30

3-minute poster presentation pitches

12.30-14.30

Lunch and poster session 3

14.30-16.30

Oral presentations 3

Day 4 (18/09/2023 Thursday)

Theme: Treatment and Learning/Recovery

09.00-10.00

Keynote: Lyndsey Nickels

10.00-11.00

Keynote: Marian Brady

11.30-12.00

Discussion

12.00-12.30

3-minute poster presentation pitches

12.30-14.30

Lunch and poster session 4

14.30-16.30

Oral presentations 4

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rijksuniversiteit
groningen

bibliotheek

https://doi.org/10.21827/32.8310/2025-SA
# Setting a Research Agenda for the Assessment and Treatment of Aphasia in Minority Languages

by Ana Matić Škorić | Marie Pourquié | Monica Norvik | Jelena Kuvač Kraljević | Hanne Gram Simonsen | Silvia Martínez-Ferreiro | Valantis Fyndanis | Amaia Munarriz Ibarrola | Eva Soroli | Anthony Pak-Hin Kong | Javad Anjum | Niharika MK | Wei Ping Sze | Io Salmons | Anna Gavarró | Adrià Rofes | Ritienne Grima | Gregoire Python | Reem S. W. Alyahya | Maria Kambanaros | Maria Garraffa | Semra Selvi-Balo | Britta Biedermann | Kati Renvall | Mohamed Taiebine | Michal Biran | Ayesha Areej | Suzan D Tokacs-Scheffer | Nour Ezzedine | Brooke Hallowell | Stefanie Keulen | Mira Goral | Claudia Peñaloza | Seçkin Arslan | University of Zagreb Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, Croatia | ELEBILAB, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU | Department of Education, Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education, UiT The Arctic University of Norway | University of Zagreb Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, Croatia | Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian studies, University of Oslo, Norway | Gerontology and Geriatrics Research Group, University of A Coruña, Spain | Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus | University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain | Department of Linguistics, University of Lille & CNRS STL lab France | Academic Unit of Human Communication, Learning, and Development (HCLD), The University of Hong Kong | Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA | Department of Speech-Language Pathology, JSS Institute of Speech and Hearing, Mysuru, India | National University of Singapore, Division of Graduate Medical Studies | Departament de Filologia Catalana, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona | Departament de Filologia Catalana, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona | Center for Language and Cognition Groningen (CLCG), University of Groningen, The Netherlands | Department of Human Communication Sciences & Disorders, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Malta | Faculty of Psychology, University of Geneva, Switzerland | Department of Language and Communication Sciences, School of Health and Psychological Sciences, City, University of London, London, UK | Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus | School of Health Sciences, University of East Anglia, UK | Anadolu University, Department of Speech and Language Therapy, Türkiye | Curtin School of Allied Health; enAble Institute, Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Australia | Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of Turku, Finland | Euromed Research Center, Euromed University, Fes, Morocco | Department of Communication Disorders, Ariel University, Israel | European Master's in Clinical Linguistics, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen | Department of Artificial Intelligence and Computational Cognitive Science, University of Groningen, The Netherlands | Laboratory of NeuroPsychoLinguistics, University of Toulouse, France | Brain Empowerment, LLC, USA | Vrije Universiteit Brussel | Lehman College, CUNY, NY, USA | Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona | CNRS, BCL, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France

Abstract ID: 148
Event: SoA 2025 Copenhagen posters
Topic: Clinical and experimental work on aphasia and related disorders

## Introduction and aims

Global advancements in aphasia research and clinical practice have resulted in wider awareness and a growing number of assessment tools for people with aphasia (PWA). However, significant disparities remain. Many of these tools are available for major Indo-
European languages (primarily in English), yet there are comparatively fewer options in non-Indo-European languages. This uneven distribution underscores the imminent need for more inclusive approaches in both research and clinical settings.

Multilingualism and the multicultural nature of contemporary societies remain underexplored in aphasia research. These contexts present unique linguistic and socio-cultural complexities that must be considered in the assessment and rehabilitation of PWA (e.g., Centeno et al., 2020; Norvik et al., 2022; Pourquié & Munarriz-Ibarrola, 2025; Scimeca et al., 2022), as has been recently highlighted in a special issue led by members of Working Group 2 (WG2): Aphasia Assessment and Outcomes, under the Collaboration of Aphasia Trialists (CATs; Arslan & Peñaloza, 2025).

Following the group's recent publication and subsequent discussions, there is a clear need to prioritise minority languages in aphasia research and clinical practice. As a result, WG2 initiated a systematic effort to identify the critical topics requiring attention in the near future within the realm of assessment and treatment of aphasia in minority language contexts. Those themes were compiled and refined by an expert panel of aphasia researchers within CATs WG2, focusing on multilingualism and/or understudied languages, including Basque, Catalan, Chinese, Croatian, Galician, Sami and other indigenous languages.

## Methods

A brief internal survey was sent to a total of 73 WG2 members between June and mid-July 2024 to identify the key research themes and objectives. The members were asked the following open-ended questions: "What should be on future research agenda on aphasia in minority languages?" and "What needs to be researched in the future? Kindly share your brief suggestions and comments below."

The answers were transferred verbatim to an Excel spreadsheet and three members independently coded the data by assigning general thematic labels to each response. They worked separately and remained blind to each other's classification systems. Subsequently, the coders convened in an online meeting to review the identified themes. Through collaborative discussion, they agreed on the final theme labels and resolved any disagreements unanimously.

## Results

The collected responses were classified into seven main themes: *Basic definitions*; *Norms*; *Assessment tools*; *Research*; *Speech-language pathologists (SLP) Training*; *Treatment*; *Societal Impact*.

**Basic definitions** referred to the need to clearly define key concepts, such as minority and heritage languages, multilingualism in minority language contexts, language policies, cross-
language interactions, and language distance.

**Norms** highlighted the lack of available psycholinguistic norms for these minority languages. Respondents noted the predominance of English-centric assessments and related publications, and the difficulty in setting normative data and standards of proficiency based on minority speakers without communication disorders, who are generally bilingual and who do not always share a unified or standard language variety.

**Assessment tools** addressed the need to revise existing (dominant) assessment procedures, adapt and develop tests for understudied language communities, define best practices for validating and/or adapting existing protocols, design aphasia-friendly language history questionnaires, catalogue existing tools across languages, document the unique challenges of tool development for minority languages, and study ethical considerations in transnational collaborations, e.g., in test adaptations and developments, data sharing, and financial and other logistical concerns and related topics.

**Research** underscored the importance of investigating how different factors, such as socio-economic status, literacy, and educational level, influence aphasia prevalence, recovery and access to care in minority language groups. Further topics included promoting evidence-based practices, and providing and collecting demographic statistics on PWA users of minority languages and available SLPs from different countries.

**SLP Training** focused on increasing practitioners' awareness and knowledge of main concepts such as multilingualism or linguistic variation, enhancing training in adequate assessment practices, and studying the ways to advance the care for PWA.

Regarding **Treatment**, WG2 members suggested exploring treatment methods currently used with multilingual PWA, studying how attitudes towards minority languages influence goal-setting and treatment adherence, identifying cross-linguistic transfer effects in therapy across L1, L2, and L3, and developing language-specific interventions, including technology-assisted rehabilitation tools.

Finally, under **Societal impact**, members mentioned the role of cultural identity in aphasia assessment and rehabilitation, the influence of cultural beliefs on aphasia rehabilitation outcomes, and the broader sociolinguistic histories of minority language communities.

## Discussion

The identified themes related to the assessment and treatment of aphasia in minority language contexts reflect critical priorities for advancing equitable research and clinical care for PWA from minoritized linguistic and cultural backgrounds. By addressing these topics, the field can move toward more inclusive practices that ensure fair access to accurate assessment and diagnosis, effective treatment, and culturally responsive care, as envisaged in Goal 3 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. These research
priorities and the corresponding recommendations for research and clinical practice will be further discussed during the conference.

## Keywords

minority languages; aphasia assessment; aphasia treatment; research topics; research agenda

## References

Arslan, S., & Peñaloza, C. (2025). Across countries and cultures: the assessment of aphasia in linguistically diverse clinical populations. *Aphasiology*, 1-6.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02687038.2025.2468546

Centeno, J. G., Kiran, S., & Armstrong, E. (2020). Aphasia management in growing multiethnic populations. *Aphasiology*, 34(11), 1314-1318.

Norvik, M. I., Lind, M., & Jensen, B. U. (2022). Working with multilingual aphasia: attitudes and practices among speech and language pathologists in Norway. *International Multilingual Research Journal*, 16(4), 273-290.

Pourquié, M., & Munarriz-Ibarrola, A. (2025). Overcoming challenges in name agreement to standardise the CAT in Basque, a minority language in the process of normalisation. *Aphasiology*, 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1080/02687038.2025.2450841

Scimeca, M., Abdollahi, F., Peñaloza, C., & Kiran, S. (2022). Clinical perspectives and strategies for confronting disparities in social determinants of health for Hispanic bilinguals with aphasia. *Journal of Communication Disorders*, 98, 106231.