Year of Award

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Name

Speech-Language Pathology

Department or School/College

School of Speech, Language, Hearing, and Occupational Sciences

Committee Chair

Catherine Off

Commitee Members

Jenna Griffin-Musick, Beverly Piggott

Keywords

Aphasia, Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Programs, ICAP, Extralinguistic cognition, Aphasia rehabilitation

Publisher

University of Montana

Subject Categories

Communication | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Abstract

Background: Aphasia is an acquired language disorder that impairs communication, across all modalities of language (i.e., reading, writing, speaking, and comprehension). Aphasia most commonly results from damage to the left hemisphere of the brain (e.g., stroke, traumatic brain injury). Cognitive function including attention, memory, and executive functioning may negatively impact patient outcomes during post-acute rehabilitation of aphasia. Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Programs (ICAPs) provide intensive, evidence-based and holistic treatment for a cohort of stroke survivors. The impact of these cognitive functions on language outcomes following participation in an ICAP has not been explored.

Aims: To investigate the impact of extralinguistic cognition and the implementation of a novel cognitive education intervention on language outcomes following for stroke survivors with aphasia who participate in an ICAP.

Methods & Procedures: Eight adult stroke survivors with chronic aphasia participated in a 4-week ICAP implemented by graduate students during the Summer of 2022. Participants in the experimental group received cognitive education about attention, memory, executive functioning domains, external cognitive strategies, and internal cognitive strategies. Participants were matched by age and gender into a control or experimental group. Cognitive function, linguistic function, communicative participation, and quality of life was assessed before and after the ICAP.

Outcomes & Results: Paired sample t-tests were used to compare pre- and post-ICAP performance on language measures within and across groups. Pearson’s r correlation coefficients were used to evaluate the relationship between pre-ICAP extralinguistic cognition and language-based outcomes. Statistically significant change was observed in the experimental group pre- to post- ICAP language outcomes and between the experimental group and the experimental group for language change scores. Low and moderate correlation between the pre-ICAP extralinguistic cognitive abilities and language change scores was observed.

Conclusions: This pilot study suggests that providing cognitive education during an ICAP may positively impact language outcomes for participants with post-stroke aphasia.

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© Copyright 2023 Kortney M. Krieger