Abstract
Aphasia is an acquired disorder affecting all language components across modalities.
While common therapeutic approaches can result in some improvements, multiple studies
establish that intensive therapeutic interventions are most effective; however, these
approaches are not well defined. In addition, behaviorally-oriented approaches have
been shown to be effective for other conditions, but have not yet been introduced
to the treatment of aphasia. The purpose of the current study was to examine the efficacy
of a novel, behaviorally-oriented, intensive communication intervention for aphasia
(BICA) designed by a speech-language pathologist (second author) and a Board Certified
Behavior Analyst (first author) for a 71-year-old woman with post–stroke aphasia.
Using a case study design, the participant was provided with 12 hours/week of therapy
for 12 weeks focusing on functional communication goals using a behavioral interpretation
of language and stimulus control transfer procedures. The behavior analyst determined
conceptually systematic interventions based on targets selected by the speech-language
pathologist. The participant demonstrated substantial improvements in written language
expression and comprehension, reading fluency, oral language expression, naming, and
improved quality of life. Given the substantial gains the participant made in oral
and written language post-stroke using the BICA therapy, further study is warranted.
Keywords
aphasia - collaboration - intensive - language - verbal behavior
