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Analyzing agrammatic narrative production using Northwestern Narrative Language Analysis (NNLA) and Computerized Language Analysis (CLAN): A qualitative and quantitative comparison
No full textSpontaneous language sample analysis is often used to characterize production deficit patterns in aphasia. Methods for accomplishing this, however, are labor-intensive. The Computerized Language Analysis (CLAN) system, developed for analyzing children’s language production, has recently been adopted for analysis of aphasic speech samples through AphasiaBank. However, the extent to which this automated system accurately quantifies lexical and morophosyntactic deficits, commonly seen in agrammatism, has not been explored. This study compared the CLAN with the Northwestern Narrative Language Analysis (NNLA) system, developed to evaluate linguistic deficits in aphasia. Results indicate that the CLAN does not identify important characteristics of agrammatic production. (100
Assessment of Neglect Dyslexia with Functional Materials
Get PDFSpatial neglect is a neurocognitive disorder, affecting perception, representation, and/or motor planning. Neglect dyslexia in spatial neglect after right hemisphere damage (RHD) may co-occur with, or be dissociated from, other spatial neglect signs (Arduino, Daini, & Silveri, 2005; Lee et al., 2009; Vallar, Burani, & Arduino, 2010). Previous neglect dyslexia research focused on word-level stimuli and reading errors, primarily identifying letter omissions and substitutions to the left of the word midpoint (Ellis, Flude, & Young, 1987). However, functional materials may be more challenging to read (greater spatial extent of sentences and paragraphs, versus words). Although experimental studies that focus on reading at the single-word level may ask interesting theoretical questions regarding the sources of errors in the reading stages and systems, it is not often in the real-world that people read single words in isolation.
We hypothesized that assessment materials with ecological validity such as reading a menu and reading an article would be more reflective of the degree to which reading errors and neglect dyslexia was detected in individuals with RHD than assessments that contained only single words or short phrases, which are rarely read in isolation in everyday life
Suppression and narrative time shifts in right hemisphere brain damage
Get PDFNarrative comprehension is vital to socializing and everyday communication. Understanding references to time is fundamental to comprehending the context and order of events within a narrative. This study examined the functioning of a central comprehension mechanism, suppression1,2, in narratives that cue a shift in timeframe in individuals with right hemisphere brain damage (RHD).
The timeframe in normal narrative processing is assumed to be continuous3-4. Shifts in the timeframe of events trigger the suppression mechanism, which reduces a comprehender’s mental activation of information that was processed before the time shift. When the timeframe of a narrative is disrupted (e.g., something happens “an hour later”), information that was mentally active before the time shift becomes less relevant and is suppressed.
Suppression is a general comprehension mechanism that acts across language levels and domains (e,g, words, sentences, narratives, etc.)1,5. Based on evidence of RHD suppression deficit in lexical ambiguity processing6-7, it was predicted that adults with RHD would also have difficulty suppressing information from a prior timeframe following a shift in narrative timeline. In addition, we predicted a correlation between suppression and narrative comprehension, as reported previously for young normal comprehenders1-2,5 and adults with RHD6
Predictors of slowed reading times in persons with aphasia and control participants
Get PDFOnline sentence-level reading and listening times are sensitive measures of lexical access, parsing, syntactic and semantic integration processes (e.g., Rayner et al, 2004; Trueswell et al, 1993). Studies linking online to offline performance in syntactic processing have shown that persons with aphasia (PWA) show normal or near-to-normal parsing processes on sentences that are comprehended correctly (Caplan & Waters, 2003; Caplan et al., 2007, Dickey & Thompson, 2009). However, their reading times are usually slower than those of control participants even on correct items (e.g., Sung et al, 2011; Chenery et al, 1990), suggesting generally slowed reading in this group
Automated Assessment of Aphasic Speech Using Discrete Speech Recognition Systems
No full textThe need for computer-based aphasia treatment programs (CBATP) is increasing as viable options are sought for optimizing the quality, quantity and accessibility of therapy while also reducing its cost. A challenge in the development of CBATPs has been automated assessment of spoken responses. This feature would allow for provision of feedback to the patient and/or performance data to the speech-language pathologist. In this poster, we present data comparing the automated judgments of response accuracy of several systems with that of experienced clinicians. Patient data for this project was downloaded from the AphasiaBank database (McWhinney, Fromm, Forbes, & Holland, 2011)
Generalization of Word Retrieval Following Semantic Feature Treatment
No full textThe purpose of this research was to analyze generalization effects following semantic feature treatment (SFT) for aphasia. The effectiveness of SFT at improving accuracy and speed of word retrieval, generalization to untreated words and discourse tasks and the influence of shared features was examined. The three participants improved in retrieval accuracy of treated words. Accuracy of untreated words improved for two participants; retrieval accuracy for words with shared features improved slightly more than for words with no-shared features. Two participants showed variable generalization to discourse tasks and improved speed of accurate responses. Clinical implications and future research directions are discussed
Pacific Assessment of Confabulation
No full textThis paper presents data on the Pacific Assessment of Confabulation (PAC), which was designed to accomplish two goals. First, the PAC is intended to quantify confabulation. Confabulation has been described as dichotomous (i.e., present or absent), without attempts to quantify it. A second goal is to test the hypothesis that occurs in the normal population. Literature related to witness testimony suggests this may be true
The latent structure and predictors of mood in people with aphasia due to left hemisphere stroke
No full textMost studies of post-stroke mood exclude people with aphasia. Two hundred individuals with aphasia due to left hemisphere stroke of varying acuity, completed a visual analog of mood scale. Factor analysis confirmed a two factor model best represents the relationships among scales, consisting of “anxiety/depression” and “vitality” factors. Unexpectedly, mood factors were not associated with stroke acuity, pre-stroke psychiatric history, or aphasia severity. Self-perceived quality of communication life was associated with “vitality”. We conclude it is important to survey the person with aphasia regarding subjective experiences, and that mood state can be measured in the majority of people with aphasia
Pitch and Rhythm Processing in Aphasia
Get PDFIn individuals with aphasia, it has long been observed that though the ability to produce fluent strings of speech may be impaired, the ability to sing is sometimes preserved (Gerstman, 1964). In response to such observations, Albert, Sparks and Helm (1973) developed what is known as Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT) with the suggestion that right hemisphere mechanisms believed to be involved in music processing may be able to compensate for damage to the language zone in the left hemisphere. Because music and speech share similar compositions (e.g., rhythm, pitch, duration and often linguistic content) and are thought to reign dominant in opposite hemispheres, it is understandable that such claims be made. However, collective findings in the areas of melodic and prosodic processing and the neural substrates that are involved in these processes suggest that the basis for the effectiveness of MIT must be more complicated than originally described. Although MIT has been shown to be a successful remediation tool for the partial restoration of language function in some individuals with aphasia (Sparks, Helm & Albert, 1974; Goldfarb & Bader, 1979; Schlaug, Marchina, & Norton, 2008, 2009) little evidence has been gathered as to what exactly makes this therapy effective. Consequently, a lack of evidence has been provided as to how MIT can be individualized to maximize the efficiency and efficacy of the treatment it provides
Improving the maintenance of word representations in short-term memory to improve language function: Acquisition and generalization effects
No full textThe hallmark of a successful rehabilitation program for aphasia is generalization. We report a treatment program for word processing impairment in aphasia that incorporates methods to promote acquisition and response generalization, as well as generalization of treatment effects to language tasks other than those used in treatment (Kalinyak-Fliszar, Kohen, & Martin, 2011). The program also includes a second feature to promote generalization based on the complexity account of treatment efficacy (CATE; Thompson, Shapiro, Kiran, & Sobecks, 2003; Kiran, 2008)