16 research outputs found
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Evaluating the Benefits of Aphasia Intervention Delivered in Virtual Reality: Results of a Quasi-Randomised Study
Introduction
This study evaluated an intervention for people with aphasia delivered in a novel virtual reality platform called EVA Park. EVA Park contains a number of functional and fantastic locations and allows for interactive communication between multiple users. Twenty people with aphasia had 5 weeks’ intervention, during which they received daily language stimulation sessions in EVA Park from a support worker. The study employed a quasi randomised design, which compared a group that received immediate intervention with a waitlist control group. Outcome measures explored the effects of intervention on communication and language skills, communicative confidence and feelings of social isolation. Compliance with the intervention was also explored through attrition and usage data.
Results
There was excellent compliance with the intervention, with no participants lost to follow up and most (18/20) receiving at least 88% of the intended treatment dose. Intervention brought about significant gains on a measure of functional communication. Gains were achieved by both groups of participants, once intervention was received, and were well maintained. Changes on the measures of communicative confidence and feelings of social isolation were not achieved. Results are discussed with reference to previous aphasia therapy findings
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Grammar disruption in a patient with Neuro-Sweet syndrome
This paper for the first time reports detailed neurolinguistic findings in a patient with Neuro-Sweet syndrome. In this patient the presenting symptoms of central nervous system (CNS) involvement primarily consisted of a selective grammar deficit restricted to spontaneous speech. On MRI a left prefrontal ischemic stroke (superior part BA 6) and two small subcortical left parietal infarctions were found. Neurolinguistic analyses, however, did not reveal a profile consistent with any observations of agrammatism caused by structural damage to the language areas critically involved in grammatical processing. It is hypothesized that selectively distorted grammar might reflect disruption of the frontosubcortical network involved in language processing. Prefrontal neurobehavioral abnormalities associated with functional disruption of the inferior medial frontal regions as demonstrated by SPECT, additionally suggest that agrammatic symptoms may be linked to a higher-level cognitive disorder following encephalopathic CNS involvement
Trends en ontwikkelingen in de technische installatiebranche 2010. Bedrijvigheid, arbeidsmarkt en beroepsopleiding.
Trends en ontwikkelingen in de technische installatiebranche 2010. Bedrijvigheid, arbeidsmarkt en beroepsopleiding.
Contains fulltext :
rapport-r1839.pdf (Publisher's version ) (Open Access
Trends en ontwikkelingen in de technische installatiebranche 2008 Bedrijvigheid, arbeidsmarkt en beroepsopleiding in de periode 2008-2013
Trends en ontwikkelingen in de technische installatiebranche 2008 Bedrijvigheid, arbeidsmarkt en beroepsopleiding in de periode 2008-2013
Contains fulltext :
rapport-r1781.pdf (Publisher's version ) (Open Access
The Effects of the Kinect Speech Recognition Programfor Language Rehabilitation in Patientswith Chronic Aphasia
Thinking about better speech: Mental practice for stroke-induced motor speech impairments
How many words should we provide in anomia therapy? A meta-analysis and a case series study
Aims: This study investigated whether the number of words provided in naming therapy affects the outcome. A second aim was to investigate whether severity of anomia should be used to determine the number of words provided in therapy. Methods & Procedures: First a meta-analysis of 21 anomia treatment studies between 1985 and 2006, yielding 109 individual datasets, explored whether the number of items provided and the severity of anomia influenced the success of therapy. The second part was a cross-over case-series study with 13 individuals with aphasia who had varying degrees of anomia. Individuals received two blocks of therapy (each of 10 sessions) where the set size of items to be learned was manipulated: either a small (n = 20) or large (n = 60) set in each block. Therapy and control sets were matched for baseline naming ability, frequency, phoneme, and syllable length. Therapy consisted of progressive phone- mic and orthographic cues until successful naming was achieved. All word sets (small, large and control) were retested immediately after each thrapy block finished (within 1 week) and 5 weeks after the end of each block of therapy. Outcomes & Results: The meta-analysis showed a large variation in the number of items given to participants to learn (from 5 to 120 items) and very different learning outcomes that were not linked to the number of items given. The current literature contained an unexpected bias in that, across studies, more items were given to those with severe aphasia. Consequently, the meta-analysis could not provide a clear answer to how may items should be given in therapy-thus motivating a direct comparison in a new therapy study. We found significant gains in naming accuracy for both the small (n = 20) and large (n = 60) therapy sets immediately and 5 weeks post therapy. Proportionally, there was no difference between the two sets for the group as a whole, although there was individual variation in the overall therapy effect. If expressed as the raw numbers of words learned after therapy, this means that 12 of the 13 participants learned more words when given the large (n = 60) set. Severity of anomia correlated with learning performance but did not interact with set size. Conclusions: The empicial study suggested that people with anomia could tolerate more items in therapy and that the severity of anomia should not necessarily determine how many words should be given in therapy. © 2010 Psychology Press