Speech Therapy in a Virtual World: Building Friendships in a Telepractice Aphasia Communication Group
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1
University of Maine, Communication Sciences and Disorders, United States
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2
University of Maine, United States
RATIONALE:
People with aphasia and compromised communication abilities frequently experience social exclusion and isolation due to attitudinal and environmental barriers (e.g., Howe, Worral & Hickson, 2008). Several studies indicate that participants in face-to-face aphasia support groups benefit from regular contact with others thereby reducing social isolation and improving quality of life (e.g., Bernstein-Ellis & Elman, 2006; Vickers, 2010). People with aphasia who live in Maine have limited access to face-to-face groups due to rural geography, inclement weather and limited transportation. The purpose of this study was to determine if subjects would benefit from a telepractice aphasia communication group, which would increase social opportunities between the participants through virtual meetings.
Four research hypotheses were tested:
Hypothesis one: Participation will result in a change on a linguistic test of aphasia as measured by the Western Aphasia Battery- Revised (WAB-R) - Aphasia Quotient ( Kertesz, 2006).
Hypothesis two: Participation will result in a change in functional communication as measured by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Functional Assessment Functional Communication for Adults (ASHA FACS)(Frattali et al., 1995).
Hypothesis three: Participation will result in a change in social isolation as measured by The Friendship Scale (Hawthorne, 2006).
Hypothesis four: Participation will result in a change in emotional state as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory-II (Beck et al., 1996).
METHOD:
Subjects:
Three females and two males with chronic aphasia participated in the study. The subjects sustained a single L CVA and met criteria for inclusion on language, cognition, psychiatric history, hearing and visual acuity. They had a computer equipped with a webcam, high-resolution audio capabilities and high-speed Internet access. Three participants were accompanied by an eHelper (i.e., family member), who assisted in navigating the technology and facilitating communication.
Procedure:
Measurement Procedure: We used a single group pre-post therapy research design. The University of Maine, Telepractice Technology Checklist (Walker, 2015) was initially administered to ensure that the remote site, technology, eHelper and subject characteristics were adequate for engaging in telepractice. The WAB-R, ASHA FACS, Friendship Scale and Beck Depression Inventory were administered to each subject prior to the first group session and after the last group session.
Telepractice Procedure: All of the subjects attended telepractice group meetings that were 1 ½ - 2 hours in duration each week for 12 weeks. Topics were assigned each week to focus the group discussions about personal experiences, aphasia educational/therapy materials, hobbies, families and technology. The group sessions were hosted from the speech therapy telepractice lab on the University of Maine campus using a secure video conferencing system that connected each member from his or her home computer through high-speed Internet access for a total of six sites in different parts of Maine.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS:
Preliminary results for pre/post measures revealed positive changes in language abilities, functional communication, friendship and emotional state (see Figure 1). These encouraging results suggest that technology can be used effectively to improve the lives of people with aphasia through participation in virtual telepractice communication groups.
Acknowledgements
This project is partially funded by the Next Generation Foundation of Maine.
References
Beck, A.T., Steer, R. A., & Brown, G. K. (1996). Manual for the Beck Depression Inventory-II. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.
Bernstein-Ellis, E., & Elman, R. J. (2006). Aphasia group communication treatment: The Aphasia Center of California approach. In Elman, R. J., Group treatment of neurogenic disorders: The expert clinician’s approach. San Diego, CA: Plural Publishing, Inc.
Frattali, C., Thompson, C., Holland, A., Wohl, C., & Ferketic, M. (1995). Funcational Assessment of Communication Skills for Adults. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Rockville, MD.
Hawthorne, G. (2006). Measuring social isolation in older adults: Development and initial social validation of the Friendship Scale. Social Indicators Research, 77, 521–548.
Howe, T., Worrall, L., & Hickson, L. (2008). Observing people with aphasia: Environmental factors that influence their community participation. Aphasiology, 22(6), 618–643.
Kertesz, A. (2006). Western Aphasia Battery-Revised. San Antonio, TX: Pearson.
Vickers, C. (2010). Social networks after the onset of aphasia: The impact of aphasia group attendance. Aphasiology, 24(6 – 8), 902-913.
Walker, J. P (2015). University of Maine, Speech Therapy Telepractice and Technology Program Manual. University of Maine Faculty Monographs. Book 220. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/fac_monographs/220/
Keywords:
Telemedicine,
Aphasia,
Communication,
group,
therapy
Conference:
54th Annual Academy of Aphasia Meeting, Llandudno, United Kingdom, 16 Oct - 18 Oct, 2016.
Presentation Type:
Poster Sessions
Topic:
Academy of Aphasia
Citation:
Walker
JP and
Jacques
K
(2016). Speech Therapy in a Virtual World: Building Friendships in a Telepractice Aphasia Communication Group.
Front. Psychol.
Conference Abstract:
54th Annual Academy of Aphasia Meeting.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fpsyg.2016.68.00013
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Received:
17 Apr 2016;
Published Online:
15 Aug 2016.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. Judy P Walker, University of Maine, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Orono, Maine, 04469, United States, judy.perkins.walker@umit.maine.edu