Integrating Complementary Learning Principles in Aphasia Rehabilitation Via Adaptive Modeling (Sub-study 1: Balancing Effortful and Errorless Learning Via Adaptive Naming Deadlines)
University of Pittsburgh
Summary
Aphasia is a language disorder caused by stroke and other acquired brain injuries that affects over two million people in the United States and which interferes with life participation and quality of life. Anomia (i.e., word- finding difficulty) is a primary frustration for people with aphasia. Picture-based naming treatments for anomia are widely used in aphasia rehabilitation, but current treatment approaches do not address the long-term retention of naming abilities and do not focus on using these naming abilities in daily life. The current research aims to evaluate novel anomia treatment approaches to improve long-term retention and generalization to everyday life. This study is one of two that are part of a larger grant. This record is for sub-study 1, which will adaptively balance effort and accuracy using speeded naming deadlines.
Description
Study 1: Evaluate the benefits of balancing effortful and errorless learning via adaptive naming deadlines. * Study design: The investigators will enroll 30 people with aphasia in a randomized within-subjects crossover design comparing trained words in three retrieval conditions. Stimuli will be balanced across conditions using an established item-response theory algorithm developed by Dr. Hula (consultant). Participants will receive 8 sessions of treatment per condition (2x/ week for 4 weeks), with probes administered at baseline and 1 week, 3 months, and 6 months post-treatment. Condition t…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * Existing diagnosis of chronic (\>6 months) aphasia subsequent to left hemisphere ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke. * Impaired performance on 2/8 sections of the Comprehensive Aphasia Test. Exclusion Criteria: * History of other acquired or progressive neurological disease. * Significant language comprehension impairments * Unmanaged drug / alcohol dependence. * Severe diagnosed mood or behavioral disorders that require specialize mental health interventions.
Interventions
- BehavioralAccuracy-maximized condition
Naming treatment condition in which the target will be immediately provided for repetition at picture onset.
- BehavioralEffort-maximized condition
Naming treatment condition in which participants will have up to 10 seconds to respond before the target is provided for repetition.
- BehavioralEffort-accuracy balanced condition
Naming treatment condition in which naming deadlines will be determined based on the balanced effort-to-accuracy benefit ratio formalized above, calculated on clinician-provided accuracy and response time ratings. Deadlines will be recalculated session-by-session to adjust to participant-specific treatment gains over time.
Location
- Language Rehab and Cognition Lab, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of PittsburghPittsburgh, Pennsylvania