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Intensity of Aphasia Therapy: Evidence and Efficacy

  • Behavior (Howard S. Kirshner, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Determining the optimal amount and intensity of treatment is essential to the design and implementation of any treatment program for aphasia. A growing body of evidence, both behavioral and biological, suggests that intensive therapy positively impacts outcomes. We update a systematic review of treatment studies that directly compares conditions of higher and lower intensity treatment for aphasia. We identify five studies published since 2006, review them for methodologic quality, and synthesize their findings with previous ones. For both acute and chronic aphasia, results at the language impairment and communication activity/participation levels tend to be more equivocal than previously demonstrated, with no clear differences between intensive and nonintensive treatment emerging across studies. Future research directions are discussed including research design, definitions of treatment intensity, and behavioral and biological measurement of short- and long-term changes following implementation of an intensive treatment.

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Acknowledgment

Preparation of this manuscript was supported by Grants R21DC9876 (to LRC) and R15DC009690 (to AMR) from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. The contributions of Tobi Frymark and Tracy Schooling from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association are gratefully acknowledged. L.R. Cherney, J.P. Patterson, and A.M. Raymer are members of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Disclosure

Conflicts of interest: L.R. Cherney: none; J.P. Patterson: none; A.M. Raymer: none.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Aphasia Research and Treatment, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, 345 East Superior Street, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA

    Leora R. Cherney

  2. Audiology and Speech Pathology Service, VA Northern California Health Care System, 126 A/MTZ, 150 John Muir Road, Martinez, CA, 94553, USA

    Janet P. Patterson

  3. Old Dominion University, 110 Child Study Center, Norfolk, VA, 23529, USA

    Anastasia M. Raymer

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  1. Leora R. Cherney
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  2. Janet P. Patterson
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  3. Anastasia M. Raymer
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Correspondence to Leora R. Cherney.

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Cherney, L.R., Patterson, J.P. & Raymer, A.M. Intensity of Aphasia Therapy: Evidence and Efficacy. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 11, 560–569 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11910-011-0227-6

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