Stroke

Neuroplasticity (includes neuroscience)

Clinical Practice (assessment, diagnosis, treatment, knowledge translation/EBP, implementation science, program development)

Symposium

(625280) Aphasia Rehabilitation Research: Successes, Challenges and Promises

Presenter(s)

• 

  Leora Cherney, PhD, CCC-SLP, BC-ANCDS

  Coleman Foundation Chair and Scientific Chair, Think and Speak Lab
  Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
  Chicago, Illinois
• MB

  Marwan Baliki, PhD

  Research Scientist
  Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
  Chicago, Illinois
• SA

  Sameer Ashaie, PhD

  Post-doctoral fellow
  Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
  Chicago, Illinois
• 

  Edna Babbitt, PhD

  Research Speech-Language Pathologist
  Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
  Chicago, Illinois

Aphasia, a language impairment, impacts not only communication, but overall quality of life. Speech- language treatments provide evidence-based behavioral interventions that target the impairment, the communication environment, activity/participation, and psychosocial domains. However, there is presently no cure for aphasia. There is a critical need for research to better understand brain-behavior relations during recovery, treatment factors affecting rehabilitation, and new technologies that might enhance outcomes. We offer examples of current research representative of the state of the science in aphasia rehabilitation research. We illustrate successes and challenges, discuss clinical implications, and offer directions for future research.

Learning Objectives:

• List the advantages and disadvantages of various research designs, from single-subject experimental design to randomized controlled studies, that have been used in aphasia rehabilitation research.
• Describe one study that uses resting state fMRI to track brain changes following intensive speech-language treatment.
• Discuss how eye-tracking can be used to measure mood in persons with aphasia.
• Discuss evidence supporting the importance of treatment intensity in aphasia rehabilitation.
• List at least three challenges associated with aphasia rehabilitation research and Identify future directions for interdisciplinary research in aphasia.