The semantic system contributes to the process of speech production in two major ways. The basic information is contained within semantic representations, and the semantic control system manipulates that knowledge as required by task and context. This thesis explored the evidence for interactivity between semantic and phonological stages of speech production, and examined the role of semantic control within speech production. The data chapters focussed on patients with semantic aphasia or SA, who all have frontal and/or temporoparietal lesions and are thought to have a specific impairment of semantic control. In a novel development, grammatical class and cueing effects in this patient group were compared with healthy participants under tempo naming conditions, a paradigm which is thought to impair normal semantic control by imposing dual task conditions. A basic picture naming paradigm was used throughout, with the addition of different grammatical classes, correct and misleading phonemic cues, and repetition and semantic priming: all these manipulations could be expected to place differing loads on a semantic control system with either permanent or experimentally induced impairment. It was found that stimuli requiring less controlled processing such as high imageability objects, pictures with simultaneous correct cues or repetition primed pictures were named significantly more accurately than items which needed more controlled processing, such as low imageability actions, pictures with misleading phonemic cues and unprimed pictures. The cueing evidence offered support to interactive models of speech production where phonological activation is able to influence semantic selection. The impairment in tasks such as the inhibition of task-irrelevant material seen in SA patients and tempo participants, and the overlap between cortical areas cited in studies looking at both semantic and wider executive control mechanisms suggest that semantic control may be part of a more generalised executive system.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-01T18:24:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao_julia_marinho.pdf: 1190844 bytes, checksum: b06f6d53a2a472c80f277ed92ef8e940 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-02-29 / The Aphasic presents alteration in the language in all its aspects. It is a task of the speech-language pathologist to act in the rehabilitation and improvement of this pathology, bringing to the clinic activities that make possible the communication and, consequently, the social re-insertion of this citizen. However, currently, during this process of rescue of the language, the main goal to achieve is the reestablishment of the orality, without, in many times, taking in consideration the writing. Through this study, it is intended, through the exploration of the written modality, to provide a better recovering of the orality, being able to reach a more effective recovery of the language as a whole piece. The research was realized with base on the analysis of the written production of an aphasic citizen with difficulties expressive, inserted in a Group of Acquaintance for carriers of Aphasia at the Universidade Católica de Pernambuco. The analysis of twenty meetings of the Group was carried through, considering his writing productions and initiatives to communicate, with focus in the marks of orality in its writing, highlighting the speech and writing relation as a fundamental point for the reconstruction of the language. The analysis of the data was based on the studies on speech and writing, thru Marcuschi (1995) perception, pointing out the relation between these two modalities of the language for the therapeutical activity of this pathology, promoting strategies so that this citizen can make himself be understood, and come back, thus, to the social conviviality. The results gotten in the present work, points to the confirmation of the narrow existing relation between speech and writing in the process of rescue of the language of a aphasic person. The observed characteristics of the orality in the writing of the aphasic person diverges, in part, from those that are possible to be found in the writing of a citizen that was not attacked by this pathology. Marks of the orality in the writing of the aphasic person with difficulties expressive are distinguished; however; they are marks and characteristic indications of the oral language of the aphasic person. It is expected that the speech therapists can identify the advantages of working from the social interactionist perspective, making good use of all resources used by the aphasic patient for the reestablishment of his language. The relevance of the related study is in identifying characteristic and offering strategies to overcome the difficulties faced by this citizen / O indivíduo afásico apresenta alterações na linguagem em todos os seus aspectos. O papel do fonoaudiólogo é atuar na reabilitação e melhoria dessa patologia, trazendo à clínica atividades que viabilizem a comunicação e, conseqüentemente, a re-inserção social desse sujeito. No entanto, atualmente, durante esse processo de resgate da linguagem, prioriza-se o restabelecimento da oralidade, sem, muitas vezes, levar em consideração a escrita. Através deste estudo, pretende-se, por meio da exploração da modalidade escrita, proporcionar uma melhor readequação da oralidade, de modo a favorecer uma recuperação mais efetiva da linguagem como um todo. A pesquisa foi realizada considerando a análise da produção escrita de um sujeito afásico com dificuldades expressivas, participante do Grupo de Convivência de Afásicos da Universidade Católica de Pernambuco. Foi realizada a análise de vinte encontros do Grupo, levando em conta suas produções textuais e iniciativas comunicativas, enfocando as marcas da linguagem oral em sua escrita, com destaque para a relação fala/escrita como ponto fundamental para a reconstrução da oralidade. A análise dos dados foi baseada nos estudos sobre a fala e a escrita, a partir da perspectiva de Marcuschi (1995), destacando a relação entre essas duas modalidades da linguagem para a atividade terapêutica dessa patologia, promovendo estratégias para que esse sujeito possa se fazer entender, e voltar, assim, ao convívio social. Os resultados obtidos no presente trabalho corroboram a estreita relação existente entre a fala e escrita no processo de resgate da linguagem do afásico. As características da oralidade observadas na escrita do afásico divergem, em parte, daquelas que são possíveis de serem encontradas na escrita de um sujeito que não foi acometido por essa patologia. Destacam-se marcas da oralidade na escrita do afásico com dificuldades expressivas, contudo, são marcas e indícios característicos da linguagem oral do afásico. Espera-se que os profissionais da fonoaudiologia possam perceber as vantagens de se trabalhar a partir da perspectiva sociointeracionista, aproveitando todos os recursos utilizados pelo paciente afásico para o restabelecimento da sua linguagem. A relevância do trabalho está em identificar características e oferecer estratégias para a superação das dificuldades enfrentadas por esse sujeito

Bakgrund: Kommunikation handlar om att förmedla information mellan individer. Det kan uppstå talsvårigheter till följd av afasi eller dysartri. Dysartri innebär att artikulationen påverkas på grund av förlamning i talmuskulatur medan afasi beror på en skada i hjärnans talcentrum. För att uppnå en god omvårdnad av personer med talsvårigheter var det viktigt att individen fick känna sig sedd och hörd. Stor vikt lades på sjuksköterskan och hens förmåga att uppfatta vad personen med talsvårigheter ville förmedla både verbalt och icke-verbalt. Det var därför viktigt att uppmärksamma personers erfarenheter av att leva med talsvårigheter. Syfte: Syftet med litteraturstudien var att beskriva personers erfarenheter av att leva med försämrad talfunktion på grund av afasi eller dysartri. Metod: En beskrivande litteraturstudie där 12 vetenskapliga artiklar låg till grund för resultatet. Samtliga artiklar var av kvalitativ ansats. Huvudresultat: Resultatet har påvisat att livssituationen har förändrats för personer med talsvårigheter, de påverkades emotionellt negativt samt tvingades att hitta nya strategier och hanteringssätt för att handskas med sina talsvårigheter. Synen på framtiden var mycket individuell och skildes från person till person. Personer med talsvårigheter erfor både positiva och negativa förändringar i relationer till familj, vänner och omgivningen. I kontakten med vården har personer med talsvårigheter erfarit både positiva och negativa upplevelser. Slutsats: Gott bemötande och goda relationer till vårdpersonal har spelat en viktig roll i återhämtningsprocessen för personer med afasi och dysartri, därför bör sjuksköterskor vara medveten om detta för att ha möjligheten kunna skapa de bästa förutsättningar för patienten. / Background: Communication is about mediate information between individuals. Speech difficulties can occur as a result of aphasia or dysarthria. Dysarthria means that articulation is affected due to paralysis in speech muscles while aphasia is due to an injury in the brain's speech center. In order to achieve good nursing of people with speech difficulties, it was important for the individual to feel seen and heard. Great emphasis was then placed on the nurse and her ability to perceive what the person with aphasia wants to convey both verbally and non-verbally. It was therefore important to pay attention to people's experiences of living with speech difficulties. Aim: The aim of this literature study was to describe people's experiences of living with impaired speech function due to aphasia or dysarthria. Method: A descriptive literature study where 12 scientific articles were the basis for the result. All articles were of a qualitative approach. Main result: The result has shown that the life situation has changed for people with speech difficulties, they were affected emotionally negatively and forced to find new strategies and ways of dealing with their speech difficulties. The view of the future was very individual. People with speech difficulties experience both positive and negative changes in relationships with family, friends and the environment. In contact with health care, people with speech difficulties have experienced both positive and negative experiences. Conclusion: Good encounters and good relationships with health care professionals has played an important role in the recovery process for people with speech difficulties, therefore the nurse should be aware of this in order to be able to create the best conditions for the patient.

No description available.

Augmented input refers to the support of any form of linguistic or visual strategies to enhance understanding during intervention. Previous research predominantly focused on the various types of augmented input that can be used, especially to support reading comprehension. The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the effect of varying amounts of augmented input using partner-pointing on the accuracy of auditory comprehension for persons with Wernicke’s aphasia specifically. The research was conducted with seven participants with Wernicke’s aphasia. The participants listened to three narratives in three conditions, namely 0%, 50% and 100% augmented input with partner-pointing, and then responded to comprehension items based on the narratives. Most participants had more accurate scores during the 50% augmented input condition. In addition, participants did significantly better in the 50% condition than in the 100% augmented input condition. The main clinical implication is that supporting narrative auditory comprehension with augmented input, used as pre-task and during-task stimulation, seems to facilitate the improved auditory comprehension of narratives for some persons with Wernicke’s aphasia. However, providing augmented input for all the content units of a narrative seems to have a negative effect on the auditory comprehension of some persons with Wernicke’s aphasia. Continued research is necessary to determine what types and frequency of augmented input will lead to improved auditory comprehension for persons with aphasia, specifically Wernicke’s aphasia. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC) / MA / Unrestricted

Bakgrund: Afasi är en nedsatt förmåga att kunna uttrycka sig i tal och skrift. Varje dag får ca 25 personer afasi. Att drabbas av kommunikationssvårigheter ger en plötslig förändring i att inte kunna göra sin röst hörd som tidigare och en stor del av identiteten går förlorad. Syfte: Syftet var att belysa anhörigas upplevelser när en närstående drabbats av afasi. Metod: Metoden var en litteraturstudie. Tio vetenskapliga artiklar som svarade på syftet användes för resultaten och analyserades i fem steg med hjälp av innehållsanalys. Artiklarna innehöll både kvalitativ och kvantitativ ansats. Resultatet: I resultatet framkom fyra kategorier; anhörigas delaktighet och positivitet stärker kommunikationen, en omfattande livsomställning för afasidrabbad och anhörig, informativt och känslomässigt stöd till anhöriga, hopp och styrkor betydelsefulla för anhöriga. Resultatet visade att anhöriga var ett stort stöd i kommunikationen för den som drabbats av afasi. Den livsomställning som anhöriga stod införvisade sig bli en stor utmaning. Anhöriga upplevde att det fanns brister i det stöd som förväntades av sjukvården, där både informativt och emotionellt stöd ansågs bristfälligt. Slutsats: Anhöriga till personer som drabbats av afasi är i behov av information och inkludering i vården samt stöd från samhället för att klara av att vara ett kommunikativt stöd för sin närstående.

Background: Word retrieval deficits are a common, pervasive feature of aphasia. Semantic feature analysis (SFA) is a popular treatment technique for word retrieval impairment. Preliminary evidence of its use in small aphasia-group settings suggests improved word retrieval in discourse-based tasks with improvements in communicative informativeness (Antonucci, 2009; Falconer & Antonucci, 2012). Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the training of SFA within discourse during a small (two-member) aphasia group treatment to ascertain if gains would be made in word retrieval abilities and communicative informativeness. Method: Two female participants with chronic aphasia, aged seventy seven and sixty eight, participated weekly in group treatment for five consecutive weeks where stimuli were used to elicit increasingly naturalistic discourse. A multiple-baseline design was used and a case series analysis conducted. Baseline measures, treatment data and data from the six week follow-up (SWFU) session were analysed using the protocols developed by Nicholas and Brookshire (1993) and Mayer and Murray (2003). Results: Both participants demonstrated certain modest gains in overall communicative informativeness but these were not maintained at the SWFU session. Gains in informativeness ranged from 12% to 13.4% for participants, which agree with improvements in other studies (Antonucci, 2009; Boyle & Coelho, 1995; Falconer & Antonucci, 2012). P2 (presented with anomic aphasia) performed better than P1 (presented with Broca’s aphasia and a component of apraxia of speech [AOS]) with regards to communicative informativeness (%CIUs) and had greater access to semantic knowledge (i.e. could access lexical forms at an improved rate). Conclusion: The small group setting may offer advantages to facilitate communication skills and increase participation in everyday conversation. Further research is needed to identify benefits for individuals with differing aphasia types and severity, optimal intensity and frequency of group treatment and the role of peer support during group interaction. Key Words Aphasia, stroke rehabilitation, word retrieval, semantic feature analysis, connected speech, discourse, group therapy, communicative informativeness, functional communication. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / MA / Unrestricted

Background: Augmented input (AI) refers to any visual or linguistic strategy used by communication partners to increase the message comprehension of a person with aphasia. Previous research has focused on the type of AI, such as high versus low context images and linguistic versus visual supports, that can be used to facilitate improved auditory and reading comprehension. The results of these studies have been varied. To date, researchers have not evaluated the frequency of AI required to improve auditory comprehension of persons with chronic aphasia. Aims: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of AI using no context Picture Communication Symbols™ (PCS) images, presented at a frequency of 70%, versus no AI on the accuracy of auditory comprehension of narratives for persons with chronic aphasia. Methods and procedures: A total of 12 participants with chronic aphasia listened to two narratives, one in each of the conditions. Auditory comprehension was measured by assessing participants’ accuracy in responding to 15 multiple choice cloze-type statements related to the narratives. Results: Of the 12 participants, 7 participants (58.33%) gave more accurate responses to comprehension items in the AI condition, 4 participants (33.33%) gave more accurate responses in the no AI condition and 1 participant scored the same in both the conditions. Conclusion: No context Picture Communication Symbols™ (PCS) images used as AI improved the accuracy of responses to comprehension items based on narratives for some persons with chronic aphasia. Continued research is necessary in order to determine what forms and frequency of AI will lead to improved auditory comprehension for persons with aphasia. / Mini Dissertation (M(AAC))--University of Pretoria, 2017. / National Research Foundation (NRF) / Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC) / M(AAC) / Unrestricted

Diplomová práce zjišťuje možnosti využití textových materiálů, zejména učebnic, pro výuku češtiny jako cizího jazyka pro práci terapeutů pacientů s Vycházíme ze zkušeností některých terapeutů, kteří pomocí materiálů pro výuku češtiny jako cizího jazyka kompenzují nedostatek afaziologických materiálů. Teoretická část práce přináší vybraná specifika češtiny jako cizího jazyka a terapie afázií a ukazuje shodné rysy jazykového projevu těchto dvou typů mluvčích. Součástí je také analýza projevu afatickéh připravovaného korpusu českých afatiků a analýza projevu nerodilého mluvčího češtiny. Oba rozbory se opírají o analýzy afatických projevů, které zpracovali lingvističtí odborníci. Praktickou část tvoří kvalitativní výzkum formou polostrukturov českými klinickými logopedy, jehož hlavním cílem bylo zjistit, zda tito terapeuti učebnice češtiny pro cizince používají, zda jsou podle jejich názoru pro terapii afázií vhodné a co by se na takových materiálech mohlo případně upravit, ab afázií užitečné. Zjistili jsme, že užívání učebnic češtiny pro cizince není mezi dotazovanými klinickými logopedy rozšířené. Po určitých úpravách si ale dokáží představit, že by je ve své praxi využili. Ti, kteří s takovými učebnicemi zkušenost v využívají především pro pacienty v chronické fázi nebo pacienty, kteří trpí pouze

The aims of this study were to determine if various treatment, item, and patient-level factors could be used to predict probe naming accuracy in a bilingual Spanish-English SFA treatment study. At the treatment-level, variables included phase (baseline vs. treatment), training condition (trained set 1 items vs. translations), and time (session). At the item-level, psycholinguistic variables were investigated including lexical frequency, phonological length in phones, and phonological neighborhood density. Finally, at the patient-level, impairment measures were used including aphasia severity (as measured by WAB AQ) naming impairment (represented by a composite naming score from pre-treatment assessments). Mixed-effects logistic regression methods were used to fit the data with fixed effects for the variables of interest as well as random effects for subject and item. The regression analyses revealed significant main effects of phase, time, and interactions with training condition such that naming accuracy on probes was higher for the treatment language during the treatment phase and over time in general. Significant effects were also noted for each of the psycholinguistic variables such that increased frequency, shorter length, and a larger neighborhood increased the likelihood of correct naming responses. Finally, overall aphasia severity and naming impairment both correlated with naming outcomes.