Tessa Wright

Prof. Jason Melton

ENGL 5
12 May 2016
Speech-Language Pathologists and Aphasia Patients: A Research Proposal
Speech-Language Pathology professionals (SLPs) are important in health care clinics
because they are responsible for diagnosing and treating any communication disorder or problem
that inhibits a person's ability to effectively communicate (Gunther). Because SLPs professional
jurisdiction covers such a broad area, ranging from a child not being able to pronounce rs and
ss to a cancer patients inability to properly swallow; it can be difficult for the public to pinpoint
particular services that SLPs provide. Rather than elaborate on all areas that SLPs cover, the aim
of this research is to shed light on one particular area: the treatment and assessment of aphasia
patients.
In order to treat and assess aphasia, it is important to first understand what aphasia is.
Aphasia is the inability to effectively communicate because of trauma to a part of the brain that is
responsible for language production (Aphasia). Aphasia is commonly caused by a stroke or
traumatic brain injury. While aphasia does not hurt a persons intelligence, it does have negative
effects on writing, reading, listening, and speaking skills. Most often, patients who have aphasia
also have other problems such as dysarthria (difficulty articulating speech) or swallowing
problems. In regards to aphasia patients, The responsibility of the SLP is divided into two areas:
assessment and therapy.
The SLP will assess the patient's auditory comprehension, verbal expression, reading and
writing, and functional communication (Aphasia). Auditory comprehension is the ability of the

person to understand words that are spoken, such as a story or the answer to a question. In a
recent study published in the International Journal of Speech-Language pathology, researchers
measured one way to assess auditory comprehension by reading Aesops Fables to patients. The
purpose was to see if macrostructure tasks would be a good diagnostic tool for speech
pathologists to assess aphasia patients. A Macrostructure task is one that takes the global
meaning of a text (Ulatawoska 634). Examples of macrostructure tasks are summary and gist.
After reading the stories, patients were asked to compute macrostructure tasks so that researchers
could record how accurate their diagnosis was based on this method. Researchers found that the
use of fables to measure production skills is optimal, because the meaning of the text goes
beyond the literal. This is a more advanced cognitive strategy. The patient must look beyond the
story and discover its figurative meaning. This specific example is one of the many ways that
SLPs can approach assessing aphasia patients in the area of language production. Upon further
research, I hope to delve into other approaches that SLPs use to assess aphasia patients.
After also evaluating their reading, writing, and functional communication, the next step
of the SLP is to begin therapy. The goal of therapy is to restore language ability and strengthen
modalities of language that are already intact. Therapy sessions vary depending on the
deficiencies of the patient. Patient-based therapy, which focuses on the specific needs of each
individual patient, is a common type of therapy used by SLPs. Other different types of therapy
include Activities/Participation-Based Treatment and Language Impairment-Based
Treatment. Within these segments, there are other types of therapy including computer based
treatment, constraint induced language therapy, and melodic intonation therapy (Aphasia).
According to the American Speech-Language Pathology Association website, the aim of therapy
is to increase quality of life through four main areas: activities and participation, environmental

barriers, personal identity, and body function and structure (Aphasia). Therapy is not just about
activities done under the supervision of the SLP, but rather, is dynamic and is greatly influenced
by the patient. This source elaborates on all of these factors. Upon further research, I hope to
read more about the factors and how they play a role in the therapy of aphasia patients. I also
plan to learn more about the different types of therapy that can be used.
Conducting further research on the role of SLPs with aphasia patients is important to me
because I am considering majoring in Speech pathology and audiology. In order to predict how
well this subject is aligned with my values and interests, more research into treatment and
therapy is necessary. I am drawn to the field because I would get to help people and will be
provided with a secure job after graduation. Before conducting any preliminary research, I knew
that SLPs work with children who have developmental speech disorders because I have
shadowed two school SLPs. I also learned about how they can work with patients who have
swallowing problems by shadowing a SLP at UC Davis Medical Center. These areas were not of
great interest to me, which is partly why I was inspired to explore this new area of aphasia. I plan
to conduct further research in this area by reading case studies and experiments done by SLP
professionals. These experiments show various ways of how to treat and assess aphasia patients.
I plan to find these documents, experiments, and case studies through the use of the Sacramento
State Library search engine. Upon completion of my research into the treatment and assessment
of aphasia patients by SLPs, I hope to have a grounded idea of whether or not this is the right
field for me to pursue.

Works Cited

"Aphasia: Treatment." Aphasia: Treatment. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association,

n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.
Gunther, Noel. "Traumatic Brain Injury: Benefits of Speech-Language Pathology
Services." Traumatic Brain Injury: Benefits of Speech-Language Pathology Services.
WETA, 2015. Web. 09 Apr. 2016.
Ulatawoska, Hanna K., Belinda Reyes, Tricia Santos, Diane Garst, Kelly Mac, Kelly
Graham. Production and comprehension in aphasia: Gains and pitfalls in using

macrostructure tasks in Aesop's fables International Journal of Speech-Language

Pathology 15.6 (2013): 634-642. Web.