The use of representational prompts in aphasia therapy

The uses of representational prompts, which have received little specific attention in the literature of aphasia therapy, are discussed in this paper. A representational prompt is one that represents the concept pinpointed in the naming or matching response the prompt is intended to help elicit. It may fall into either of two major categories: symbolic, as in the form of a written word or realistic, as in the form of an object or picture. A number of examples are described that were clinically utilized by the authors within the framework of operant behavior principles, and a tentative outline is presented suggestive of the variety of such prompts that can be adapted to the precise and varying needs of the patient.