The Feasibility of Modified Multimodal Communication Treatment With Discourse via Telepractice for People With...

Area of Science:

• Speech and Language Pathology
• Telehealth
• Neurorehabilitation

Background:

• Aphasia significantly impacts communication, often necessitating specialized treatment.
• Multimodal Communication Treatment (MCT) aids individuals with aphasia in resolving communication breakdowns.
• Telepractice offers a potential solution to access barriers in aphasia rehabilitation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility of Multimodal Communication Treatment with discourse via telepractice (teleMCT+D) for individuals with aphasia.
• To assess teleMCT+D across five feasibility categories: recruitment, data collection, acceptability, resources, and treatment response.
• To explore potential barriers and advantages of delivering communication treatment remotely.

Main Methods:

• A single-subject design study involving two individuals with aphasia.
• teleMCT+D delivered over 10 weeks (two 1-hour sessions/week).
• Feasibility assessment using established criteria and outcome measures, including posttreatment interviews.

Main Results:

• High feasibility for recruitment and data collection was observed.
• Participants reported high acceptability of teleMCT+D, viewing the telepractice format positively.
• Treatment response showed mixed effects on accuracy and nonspoken modality use, but increased daily use of nonspoken communication was reported.

Conclusions:

• teleMCT+D is a feasible and acceptable treatment format for individuals with aphasia, despite some challenges with nonspoken modality training.
• Preliminary evidence suggests telepractice can improve access to communication breakdown resolution treatment for underserved populations.
• Future research should explore modifications in larger, diverse samples of individuals with aphasia.