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Akan Aphasia Language Tasks (AALT): piloting aphasia language assessment tasks for Akan research
Abena Asiedua Owusu Antwi1, Janet Webster2, Christos Salis2
1School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences, Newcastle University, United Kingdom; Center for Language and Cognition, Research School for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurosciences (BCN), University of Groningen, Netherlands; International Doctorate for Experimental Approaches to Language and Brain, Department of Linguistics, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany; International Doctorate for Experimental Approaches to Language and Brain, School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia; International Doctorate for Experimental Approaches to Language and Brain, Center for Language and Cognition, Research School for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurosciences (BCN), University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands; International Doctorate for Experimental Approaches to Language and Brain, School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences, Newcastle University, United Kingdom.
Background:
The comprehension and production abilities of individuals with aphasia are evaluated by means of linguistic tests normed to identify patterns of strengths and difficulties. There are no culturally relevant standardised tests in Ghana to evaluate language in Akan-speaking individuals with aphasia.
Aim:
The aim of this study was to develop and pilot a novel culturally and linguistically relevant Akan Aphasia Language Tasks (AALT) to determine their feasibility for conducting receptive and expressive language assessments for aphasia research purposes in Akan.
Method:
AALT was designed and administered to 15 individuals with varying profiles of aphasia (nine fluent and six non-fluent) and 15 non-brain-damaged controls matched on age and sex. The tasks comprised single word comprehension for verbs, single word comprehension for nouns, sentence comprehension, object naming and action naming tasks in Akan. Stimuli were images designed using generative AI.
Results:
All tasks showed significant differences between individuals with aphasia and non-brain-damaged controls. However, group comparisons based on aphasia type (fluent and non-fluent), showed no significant differences in performance on the noun comprehension, verb comprehension, sentence comprehension and object naming. The only statistically significant difference was on the action naming task. Overall, individuals with aphasia demonstrated greater difficulty in their comprehension of single word verbs than nouns, and comprehension of sentences. In the production tasks, individuals with non-fluent aphasia demonstrated greater difficulty in naming actions than objects.
Conclusion:
This study successfully piloted culturally and linguistically relevant aphasia assessment tasks for Akan research. The tasks proved feasible and culturally appropriate for receptive and expressive aphasia language assessment. The pilot study represents a foundational step in the development of aphasia assessments in the Akan context. The availability of this newly developed assessment tasks in Akan bridges the gap in the lack of culturally and linguistically relevant tools in Akan research for the Akan-speaking population.
