Between Languages: Clinical Realities and Needs in Multilingual Aphasia Therapy

Area of Science:

• Speech and Language Therapy
• Neurolinguistics
• Cross-cultural Communication

Background:

• Rising prevalence of multilingual populations and poststroke aphasia necessitates research on multilingual people with aphasia (MPwA).
• Understanding the experiences and needs of speech and language therapists (SLTs) working with MPwA is crucial for clinical practice and research.
• This study focuses on the clinical realities, challenges, and educational needs of SLTs in Türkiye.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the clinical realities, challenges, and educational needs of speech and language therapists (SLTs) working with multilingual people with aphasia (MPwA) in Türkiye.
• To identify systemic barriers and suggest improvements for multilingual aphasia therapy.
• To inform clinical practice, academic research, and policy development.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative phenomenological design with purposive, convenience, and snowball sampling.
• Semistructured interviews conducted via Zoom with twelve experienced SLTs.
• Thematic analysis of data, adhering to Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research guidelines.

Main Results:

• Four key themes emerged: language preference in therapy, family involvement dynamics, systemic challenges (e.g., insufficient materials, referral issues, training gaps), and suggested improvements.
• SLTs reported on patients with diverse language profiles including Turkish, Kurdish, Arabic, Armenian, English, French, German, and Dutch.
• Key challenges include a lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate resources and limited specialized training.

Conclusions:

• SLT services for MPwA are hindered by resource scarcity, inadequate multilingual training, and SLT-family mismatches, impacting intervention equity and effectiveness.
• Urgent needs include developing context-sensitive materials, strengthening professional networks, expanding specialized training, and promoting the systematic employment and training of multilingual SLTs.
• Findings provide guidance for policy, practice, and education in managing multilingual aphasia within diverse sociolinguistic contexts.