Communication and related problems as perceived by aphasic individuals and their spouses

Aphasics' and spouses' perceptions of the presence and degree of bothersomeness of communication-related problems and whether enrollment in a language treatment program affected these perceptions were examined. Aphasic-spouse perceptions were more concordant in the treated group; aphasic patients in the untreated group reported their problems did not bother them. Type and severity of aphasia were not related either to the reported frequency or to the degree of bothersomeness of problems. Interview data from spouses revealed that the speech-language pathologists' role extended beyond solely providing information about language behavior.