Patient-reported changes in communication after computer-based script training for aphasia.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate changes in patient-reported communication difficulty after a home-based, computer-delivered intervention designed to improve conversational skills in adults with aphasia. DESIGN Delayed treatment design with baseline, preintervention, postintervention, and follow-up observations. SETTING Outpatient rehabilitation. PARTICIPANTS Twenty subjects with chronic aphasia. INTERVENTIONS Sessions with the speech-language pathologist to develop personally relevant conversational scripts, followed by 9 weeks of intensive home practice using a computer program loaded on a laptop, and weekly monitoring visits with the speech-language pathologist. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Communication Difficulty (CD) subscale of the Burden of Stroke Scale (BOSS). RESULTS The intervention resulted in a statistically and clinically significant decrease of 6.79 points (P=.038) in the CD subscale of the BOSS during the intervention, maintained during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS The findings of this study provide positive albeit preliminary and limited support for the use of a home-based, computer-delivered language intervention program for improving patient-reported communication outcomes in adults with chronic aphasia. Additional research will be required to examine the efficacy and effectiveness of this intervention.