People Living with Aphasia Network

Research

Aphasia research should include the opinions of people living with aphasia.

Accessing research about us

Research on aphasia is conducted without the input of people living with aphasia. As people living with aphasia, we want out voices to be heard about what research is important. Access to current research developments should also be written in accessible text and provided free of cost.

  • Research should include people with aphasia.
  • Research should be accessible for people with aphasia.

Aphasia Accessible Research

Top 5 research questions people with aphasia want answered

  • In this presentation, Jackie Hinckley answered the five top research questions from people with aphasia.
  • Jackie and her team gathered votes from people with aphasia on which topics they wanted to hear about.
  • Jackie received many ideas and sorted them to determine the top five questions. The questions:
    • 1. What is impact of social connections?
    • 2. What are effective speech-language treatments?
    • 3. What training is there to help caregivers to communicate?
    • 4. How does stress/anxiety/frustration influence speech?
    • 5. What is the impact of aphasia on mental health?

Feedback from people with aphasia

Coming soon!

How to make aphasia friendly videos about research

  • This poster was about how to communicate with people with aphasia about research.
  • The researchers asked people with aphasia about what they wanted in videos about research.
  • The people with aphasia preferred normal talking speed, photos of researchers, keywords/images on screen, a summary at the end, and lists of resources.
  • They also preferred if someone with aphasia appeared in the video.
  • They didn’t like background music.
  • A summary at the end, and resources were helpful.
  • The results will help researchers create better aphasia-friendly videos.

Can you treat aphasia with magnet therapy?

  • This poster is about a study that isn’t finished yet.
  • This study is about transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS).
  • TDCS is a kind of treatment for aphasia where magnetic fields are passed through the brain.
  • The study is also about constraint-induced language therapy (CILT).
  • CILT is a kind of treatment for aphasia where people do language activities like playing card games.
  • During the activities, people are encouraged to only use speaking to communicate.
  • They are encouraged not to use gesture, writing, or any form of communication other than speaking.

Big CACTUS: Self-managed computer therapy for aphasia

  • Type: Randomize controlled trial
  • Participants: Individuals with chronic post-stroke aphasia
  • Interventions: Computer-based aphasia therapy
  • Goal: Do computer-based therapies benefit people with chronic aphasia?
  • Results
    • Participants in the computer-based therapy group showed statistically significant improvements in language abilities
    • The language improvements were sustained over time
    • Computer-based therapy group reported improvements in quality of life
    • Computer-based aphasia therapy was cost-effective

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