Typicality-based semantic treatment for anomia results in multiple levels of generalisation

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of typicality-based semantic feature analysis (SFA) treatment on generalisation across three levels: untrained related items, semantic/phonological processing tasks, and measures of global language function. Using a single-subject design with group-level analyses, 27 persons with aphasia (PWA) received typicality-based SFA to improve their naming of atypical and/or typical exemplars. Progress on trained, untrained, and monitored items was measured weekly. Pre- and post-treatment assessments were administered to evaluate semantic/phonological processing and overall language ability. Ten PWA served as controls. For the treatment participants, the likelihood of naming trained items accurately was significantly higher than for monitored items over time. When features of atypical items were trained, the likelihood of naming untrained typical items accurately was significantly higher than for untrained atypical items over time. Significant gains were observed on semantic/phonological processing tasks and standardised assessments after therapy. Different patterns of near and far transfer were seen across treatment response groups. Performance was also compared between responders and controls. Responders demonstrated significantly more improvement on a semantic processing task than controls, but no other significant change score differences were found between groups. In addition to positive treatment effects, typicality-based SFA naming therapy resulted in generalisation across multiple levels.

Left frontotemporal effective connectivity during semantic feature judgments in patients with chronic aphasia and age-matched healthy controls

“…Moreover, as part of the CNLR, many patients in the present study completed a 12-week language therapy that targeted word-retrieval deficits by training patients on semantic features of target items. While a detailed summary of the therapy is outside the scope of this paper, the results of the treatment portion of the study (see Gilmore, Meier, Johnson, & Kiran, 2018) additionally illustrate that semantic feature knowledge is critical for successful word retrieval in PWA. See Table 1 for stroke, demographic and testing information in the patient group.…”

White Matter Hyperintensities Predict Response to Language Treatment in Poststroke Aphasia

“…PMG has been utilized in previous research 26 including prior reports on the same patient cohort. 27,28 Further assessment and treatment protocol details are available elsewhere. 27,28 Participants' demographics as well as stroke and WMH lesion data and behavioral data are reported in Table 1.…”

Telerehabilitation for Word Retrieval Deficits in Bilinguals With Aphasia: Effectiveness and Reliability as Compared to In-person Language Therapy

“…Moreover, treatment-related change scores (i.e., change on post-treatment relative to pre-treatment scores) on these secondary outcome measures did not differ significantly between groups in the treated or the untreated language. These results suggest that treatment effects on secondary outcome measures are comparable across treatment delivery modalities and suggest that far transfer to standardized tests may be possible in both languages subsequent to treatment of specific lexical items, although the extent of these effects may vary across individuals being more likely to occur in treatment responders ( 44 ). Thus, the fact that these language assessments were able to capture treatment-related change in both groups, suggests that they could be employed as reliable secondary outcome measures in telerehabilitation for bilingual aphasia.…”