Background: Anomia, a persistent and frequent symptom of aphasia after stroke, obstructs the transfer of information in conversation, which can have serious consequences for participation in everyday social interaction with significant others and in society. Aims: This study aimed to replicate the findings of Coelho and his colleagues, as well as Boyle, and Wambaugh and Ferguson regarding the use of semantic feature analysis (SFA) for individuals with aphasia after stroke. Its main purpose was to explore whether intervention could (1) increase the ability to participate in conversation and (2) lead to positive changes in functional communication as perceived by the participants themselves and their significant others. Methods & Procedures:In this multiple-baseline across-subjects-design study, three participants with chronic aphasia were treated with intensive training using SFA. Treatment outcome was assessed with repeated measures of confrontation naming of actions and objects and with quantitative ratings of the quality of speech as well as communicative participation in conversation. The ratings were made by independent assessors blinded as to what phase of the study the data were obtained from. In addition, a questionnaire measuring perceived functional communication as reported by the participants and their significant others was administered before and after the training as well as at a follow-up session 10-12 weeks after the training was completed. Outcome & Results: Only minor treatment outcomes were apparent in this study. Visual inspection of the results showed a slight increase in the ability to participate in conversation for two of the three participants as well as a fall in the number of complex paraphasias for one of them and an increase in self-corrections for two. There was no improvement in the participants' confrontation-naming ability. Two of the three participants rated their own functional communication skills higher at follow-up than before training while the third participant reported no change. As regards the ratings by significant others at follow-up versus before training, there was one slight decrease, one slight increase, and one considerable increase. Conclusions: Treatment with SFA might improve communicative skills and increase participation in everyday conversation despite not having a measurable effect on confrontation-naming ability in a formal assessment situation. Further research is needed to identify the individuals with aphasia who can benefit from treatment with SFA and to determine the nature of its impact on communicative participation.

To explore the effects of intensive treatment with phonological components analysis on naming of both objects and actions. Methods: Phonological components analysis (PCA) was used to treat two individuals with moderate or severe aphasia after stroke. A single case study design with chronological time series analysis was employed to explore the effects of treatment for a total of up to 20 hours comprising the naming of self-chosen objects and actions. Changes in confrontation naming ability were assessed repeatedly. In addition, generalisation of training effects was examined in connected speech in a picture description task as well as in ratings of functional communication skills as perceived by the participants and their next of kin. Results: An increase in correctly produced words for treated items with some generalisation to untreated items was demonstrated post-treatment in a participant with moderate mixed fluent aphasia and mostly phonological errors. Number of words and degree of informativeness in the picture description task also increased. Results remained at a 10-week follow-up. A participant with severe conduction aphasia and mainly semantic errors in the pre-training assessment also demonstrated a small increase in correct confrontation naming post-treatment. Some aspects of functional communication skills were rated slightly higher, but both participants perceived the negative impact of the aphasia to be greater post-treatment. Conclusions: Phonological component analysis may be used in training of both objects and actions. However, aphasia severity and underlying deficits most likely influence the results and further research is warranted to explore the training effects.

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Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) commonly includes anomia and other communicative deficits that affect communicative participation and quality of life. Anomia treatment in MS is currently unexplored. Owing to the degenerative nature of MS, compensatory treatment might be preferable to restorative treatment. Semantic feature analysis (SFA) has been reported to have a treatment effect in aphasia and traumatic brain injury, and it can also be used as a compensatory word-finding strategy. SFA might therefore be effective on anomia in MS. Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the treatment effects of SFA on mild anomia in MS. Hypotheses were that, if used as a strategy, SFA may improve word-retrieval ability in connected speech, reduce self-perceived word-finding difficulties and increase communicative participation. Methods & Procedures: Two participants (one with relapsingremitting MS, one with progressive MS) experiencing anomia and reduced communicative participation took part in this early-phase study with a single-case experimental design (SCED). Outcome measures included accuracy and speed in confrontation naming of treated items, correct information units (CIUs) in a re-telling task, selfreported strategy use in everyday communication, self-reported occurrence of anomia and related nuisance, and self-reported communicative participation. Measurements were carried out before treatment, at the beginning of every third treatment session, once directly after treatment, repeatedly during a maintenance phase, and once at a follow-up session ten weeks after treatment. Outcomes & Results: No treatment effects on confrontation-naming ability, re-telling ability or self-reported measures were evident in either participant after treatment with SFA. Effects of repeated measures appeared as reduced response time in confrontation naming. Conclusions: SFA as the sole element of treatment may not be sufficient to obtain treatment effects on mild anomia in MS. Further research is warranted.

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