Supporting Participation Through Project-Based Intervention: A Tutorial for Working With People With Aphasia in...

Participation is an integral focus of services to people with aphasia and is considered best practice within the scope of practice for speech-language pathology. The Life Participation Approach to Aphasia encourages meaningful participation in life for people living with aphasia. In theory, providing participation-based services to people with aphasia seems logical; however, embedding these constructs of participation into practice can be challenging for speech-language pathologists (SLPs). Project-based intervention (PBI) provides an authentic opportunity to target participation and support identity reformulation in aphasia intervention. Historically, projects have been provided primarily in group-based settings, which may be difficult for the majority of SLPs who primarily offer individual sessions due to reimbursement. This tutorial provides a framework for using PBI in individual sessions for clients with aphasia using five evidence-based components: (a) shared decision making, (b) patient-reported outcomes, (c) goal setting, (d) the project, and (e) ongoing evaluation. Evidence-based tools and a case example are provided to support each component.

Projects and PBI provide tangible means of placing participation at the center of intervention while also providing opportunities to target language impairments, identity reconstruction, and various environments in a meaningful and personalized way. Projects can be scaled to the client's needs and abilities as well as to the constraints and options of the service delivery setting.