EmotionaL and Language Recovery in Aphasia (ELLA): Codesigning and Proof-of-Concept Testing a Novel Intervention

Area of Science:

• Speech and Language Therapy
• Psychological Therapies
• Aphasia Research

Background:

• Individuals with aphasia face significant risks of depression, anxiety, and social isolation.
• Therapy needs to address communication, confidence, and overall well-being.
• Family involvement is a key priority for those undergoing aphasia therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To codesign and test a novel intervention, EmotionaL and Language recovery in Aphasia (ELLA).
• To integrate elaborated semantic feature analysis (SFA) for naming and solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) for psychological support.
• To address the communication and emotional well-being priorities of people with aphasia and their families.

Main Methods:

• Co-design workshops involved people with aphasia, family members, and speech-language pathologists (SLPs).
• Expert consultations informed the integration of SFA and SFBT.
• A proof-of-concept study (n=8) tested the ELLA intervention, with outcomes measured by the Communicative Participation Item Bank (CPIB) and qualitative interviews.

Main Results:

• Co-design themes included meaningful targets, therapy integration, family involvement, and real-life change.
• Participants showed significant improvements in communicative participation (p = .006, Cohen's d = 1.37).
• High value was placed on the therapeutic relationship and the combined psychological and language therapy approach.

Conclusions:

• ELLA is a holistic, humanistic language therapy designed to support emotional and language recovery.
• This study suggests ELLA is a promising intervention for SLPs to address the dual needs of people with aphasia.
• The integrated approach may enhance overall recovery and quality of life for individuals with aphasia.