3. What are word finding treatments?
These are treatments designed to improve word-finding/ retrieval in spontaneous utterances.
Word-finding treatments include the following:
● Semantic feature analysis treatment
● Verb network strengthening
● Gestural facilitation of naming
● Response elaboration
● Word retrieval cueing strategies
● Participation/ communication based treatment approaches
4. Semantic feature treatment
● This is a treatment approach in which person with aphasia identifies important semantic features of a target word that
is difficult to retrieve.
● SFA is thought to improve word retrieval by activating the semantic network associated with the target word, thereby
raising the word’s threshold for being retrieved.
● For example SFA treatment for Nouns
5. Verb network strengthening
● This treatment approach aims to promote lexical retrieval in sentence context.
● VNeST targets verbs and their role(e.g., subject–verb–object).
● In addition, it may assist in the construction of simple active sentences. VNeST protocol constitutes a total of six steps
to remediate word retrieval deficits to activate semantic networks and to improve the production of basic syntactic
structures.;
(i) generation of verb,agent and patient
(ii) reading the agent/ patient pairs
(iii)response to WH-questions
(iv)judgement
(v)independent retrieval of verb
(vi)independent retrieval of agent/patient
6. Gestural facilitation of naming
● This is an approach that uses intact gesture abilities to mediate activation of word retrieval by taking advantage of the interactive nature of
language and action.
● GES uses gestures to help someone with aphasia recall words. These gestures are specifically trained to be linked with specific words. Research
has shown that action and language are very closely linked in the brain. Although someone with aphasia might have trouble with word finding,
they have intact brain pathways for actions.
● The goal of GES is to use those intact pathways for actions to elicit production of language. This is a trained treatment approach in which a
pantomime-style gesture is trained while paired with verbal production of a word.
● An added bonus of this treatment technique is that the gesture itself usually has a meaning. The gesture provides communication in the
moment and also improves word retrieval in the long run.
● This therapy technique is most frequently used with people Broca’s aphasia. It can be useful for any aphasia where word-finding problems exist
but the person with aphasia is able to understand the gesture training.
7. Response elaboration
This is a treatment approach designed to help increase verbal elaboration abilities of persons with aphasia. The ultimate
goal of RET is to generalize elaboration abilities so that the person can more fully participate in conversation with a
communication partner (Kearns, 1986).
A typical RET training sequence consists of the following:
1. The person with aphasia responds verbally to a prompt (e.g., picture stimulus).
2. The clinician provides reinforcement and then shapes and models the person’s response.
3. The clinician gives a “wh–” cue to elicit an elaborated response.
4. The clinician reinforces attempts to elaborate and shapes and models the original response + the elaborated
response.
5. The person attempts to repeat the clinician’s combined model.
6. The clinician elicits a delayed imitation of the combined model.
10. Word retrieval cueing strategies
● Word retrieval cueing strategies can refer to any cue, or hint, to help someone think of a word. The two
primary types of cues are:
● Semantic: providing information about the meaning of a word or its associations. For instance, for the
word “driver,” semantic cues might include that it is a person who drivers a vehicle.
● Phonological Cues: providing information about the sound of the word. Most often, this is providing the
first letter/sound of the word. For “driver,” phonetic cues could be that it starts with a “d,” that it starts
with the sound “dri” or that it has two syllables. A related type of cue is a visual phonological cue.
11. Participation based treatment approaches
● The Life Participation Approach to Aphasia (LPAA) is not one specific treatment technique. Rather, it is
a mindset or general approach to aphasia therapy.
● According to LPAA, the primary goal of therapy is enhanced life participation. Life participation can
mean different things to different people. It is based on what is important to each person. For some, it’s
getting back to work. For others, it’s being involved with family or their community. For many, it’s being
involved in a hobby or activity that they enjoy doing.
● LPAA prioritizes the person with aphasia and their life goals. It is a collaborative model where the
person with aphasia, their family, and the speech-language pathologists are a team. They identify life
participation goals and work together to reach them. With LPAA as a therapeutic mindset, the SLP can
address how communication impacts life participation. The SLP can design therapy activities that will
help the person with aphasia to engage in activities that are important to them. The primary goal of
LPAA is increased life participation and improved quality of life.
