The effectiveness of simultaneous cues on naming disturbance in aphasia

The effects of increased information redundancy on word retrieval in aphasic patients was investigated in this study. Protocols involved combining five types of cues commonly utilized in aphasia management into eight pairs, each of which could be presented simultaneously. The resulting cue combinations were presented to 16 anterior lesion aphasic subjects who manifested mild to severe word-finding difficulty. All of the combinations were effective in facilitating picture-naming performance, with the severe group demonstrating the most dramatic improvement when simultaneous prompts were utilized. A cueing hierarchy incorporating increased stimulus redundancy is supported.