Self-Reported Home Program Adherence by People With Aphasia: Exploring Construct Validity

The study purpose was to compare the practice patterns captured by self-reported logbook data and those recorded by a computerized home program application. The current study is part of a larger single-case research design study aimed at investigating the effect of logbook use on home program adherence in people with aphasia poststroke.

Data from six adults with chronic aphasia with interest in improving their reading were used in this secondary analysis. Participants completed reading comprehension therapy tasks using a mobile application and tablet. The activities were self-directed and designed for people with aphasia to complete independently. We created an aphasia-friendly logbook based on best practices to allow participants to record their estimated total minutes practiced. Participants received instructions to practice the reading therapy application 80 min a day 7 days a week for the duration of the study. We calculated the difference in the total time per day recorded by each participant to the application data collected.

All participants used the logbook to record their practice. There was a strong relationship between self-reported logbook practice and application-recorded practice for four of the six participants. Individual differences were noted and explored.

These results suggest that some people with aphasia can use logbooks with aphasia-friendly modifications to accurately estimate the amount of practice completed outside of therapy sessions.