Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 Oct 15;18(12):90.
doi: 10.1007/s11910-018-0891-x.

Aphasia Recovery: When, How and Who to Treat?

Catherine Doogan  1   2 , Jade Dignam  3 , David Copland  3 , Alex Leff  4   5
Affiliations
Review

Aphasia Recovery: When, How and Who to Treat?

Catherine Doogan et al. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep. .

Abstract

Purpose of review: We now know that speech and language therapy (SALT) is effective in the rehabilitation of aphasia; however, there remains much individual variability in the response to interventions. So, what works for whom, when and how?

Recent findings: This review evaluates the current evidence for the efficacy of predominantly impairment-focused aphasia interventions with respect to optimal dose, intensity, timing and distribution or spacing of treatment. We conclude that sufficient dose of treatment is required to enable clinical gains and that e-therapies are a promising and practical way to achieve this goal. In addition, aphasia can be associated with other cognitive deficits and may lead to secondary effects such as low mood and social isolation. In order to personalise individual treatments to optimise recovery, we need to develop a greater understanding of the interactions between these factors.

Keywords: Aphasia; Neurological rehabilitation; Quality of life; Speech and language therapy; Stroke.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest

Catherine Doogan, Jade Dignam, David Copland, and Alex Leff each declare no potential conflicts of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
How aphasia can lead either directly or, via secondary effects, to a reduction in patients’ quality of life. Brain injury sometimes also causes other associated cognitive deficits, outside the language domain which may interact with the language impairment exacerbating secondary effects. Therapies (Rx) can be targeted at the aphasic impairment itself (solid outline) in the hope that this will also improve any secondary effects and, ultimately, quality of life. However, other forms of therapy (dotted outlines) may also be required to treat any associated cognitive impairments or the secondary effects in and of themselves
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Code C, Papathanasiou I, Rubio-Bruno S, Cabana Mde L, Villanueva MM, Haaland-Johansen L, et al. International patterns of the public awareness of aphasia. Int J Lang Commun Disord. 2016;51(3):276–284. doi: 10.1111/1460-6984.12204. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Association S. State of the nation stroke statistics 2017 January 2017.
    1. Lam JM, Wodchis WP. The relationship of 60 disease diagnoses and 15 conditions to preference-based health-related quality of life in Ontario hospital-based long-term care residents. Med Care. 2010;48(4):380–387. doi: 10.1097/MLR.0b013e3181ca2647. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bakas T, Kroenke K, Plue LD, Perkins SM, Williams LS. Outcomes among family caregivers of aphasic versus nonaphasic stroke survivors. Rehabil Nurs. 2006;31(1):33–42. doi: 10.1002/j.2048-7940.2006.tb00008.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Best W, Greenwood A, Grassly J, Hickin J. Bridging the gap: can impairment-based therapy for anomia have an impact at the psycho-social level? Int J Lang Commun Disord. 2008;43(4):390–407. doi: 10.1080/13682820701608001. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources