Clinical trial NCT00764400: Treatment for Word Retrieval Impairments in Aphasia
Official title: Communication Outcomes for Naming Treatments in Aphasia
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Stroke
Keywords: aphasia
anomia
speech therapy
rehabilitation
Lead sponsor: Old Dominion University
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
First posted: 2008-10-02
Enrollment: 24
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 21
Maximum age (years): 90
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: In this study the investigators are examining the effectiveness of two different speech therapy protocols for word retrieval impairments experienced by individuals with stroke-induced aphasia. One treatment involves errorless naming treatment and the other employs verbal plus gestural facilitation of word retrieval. Participants will receive one of the two treatments over several months. Before and after treatment the investigators will administer several tests and conversational samples to examine changes associated with the treatments. The investigators hypothesize that, whereas both treatments will lead to improvements in words rehearsed in therapy, communication outcomes in conversation will be broader for the verbal plus gestural protocol.

Detailed description: In this study the investigators are examining the effectiveness of two different speech therapy protocols for word retrieval impairments experienced by individuals with stroke-induced aphasia. One treatment involves errorless naming treatment and the other employs verbal plus gestural facilitation of word retrieval. Participants will receive one of the two treatments over several months. Before and after treatment the investigators will administer several tests and conversational samples to examine changes associated with the treatments. The investigators hypothesize that, whereas both treatments will lead to improvements in words rehearsed in therapy, communication outcomes in conversation will be broader for the verbal plus gestural protocol.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* left hemisphere stroke \>4 months earlier
* aphasia with word retrieval impairments
* \>21 years of age right handed
* speaker of English as the preferred language
* \>6 grade education

Exclusion Criteria:

* history of developmental learning difficulties
* history of prior neurological illnesses
* chronic medical illnesses that restrict participation in speech therapy
* alcohol or drug dependence
* severe uncorrected impairments of vision or hearing

Primary outcomes:
measure: Daily Probe Picture Naming
timeFrame: daily probes from three times per week for up to 3 months and one month posttreatment
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Western Aphasia Battery
timeFrame: pre-treatment and at treatment completion
measure: Boston Naming Test
timeFrame: pretreatment and at treatment completion
measure: Discourse Sample
timeFrame: pre-treatment and at treatment completion
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Norfolk
country: United States
facility: Old Dominion University Speech and Hearing Clinic
state: Virginia
Study officials:
affiliation: Old Dominion University
name: Anastasia M Raymer, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: