We're a speech therapy software company making evidence-based treatment for adults with stroke, brain injury, and other conditions more accessible.
π§ Is it intact? Auditory comprehension's role in rehab
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When someone talks to you π¬, whether to ask a question or share information, they expect you to understand. π The same thing happens on the rehab unit. If you're a person with aphasia, you might not get the full message. π And that could make it a lot harder for you to get the most out of your therapy sessions. It's not surprising that auditory comprehension plays a major role in rehab success and quality of life post-discharge (Wallace et al., 2022). Even our patients with the types of aphasia with presumably βintactβ receptive language can experience subtle deficits that may impact progress. π€― π‘ And since auditory comprehension depends on attention & memory in addition to language processing, treatment can be less than straightforward. So, what does the research tell us about how to treat it? What are the different kinds of restorative treatments and compensatory strategies? π€ We break it all down for you (with references) in our latest blog: What SLPs Need to Know: Auditory Comprehension. πβοΈ
Treat Auditory Comprehension with Technology"I never see improvement in comprehension when I treat it in therapy," said many an SLP over the years. This is likely because it's nearly impossible to deliver a sufficient dosage of therapy in the standard outpatient schedule. Even with daily inpatient visits, it's rare to get the intensive practice needed for improvement. Several of the researched treatments for auditory comprehension use computers to deliver the intensity of therapy needed to see results. That's why we've built interactive treatments for auditory comprehension into our web-based platform, the Virtual Rehab Center. Each of these treatments can be used in the clinic and assigned for free homework. The difficulty auto-adjusts based on performance, and hints are available for added support when you're not there. Treatments include: π¬ Spoken Word Decision β Yes/No tasks with words that increase in complexity Check out our newest treatment: In addition to over 40 interactive treatments, the Tactus Virtual Rehab Center offers 60+ patient-friendly PDF handouts, including listening comprehension and communication partner strategies, free homework, and more! π π Try the Virtual Rehab Center for FREE: tactustherapy.com/rehabβ Thanks for doing what you doβcombining compassion, clinical insight, and evidence-based care to help your patients understand what matters most to them. π All the best, Megan Pssst! We're having our annual APP SALE for Speech-Language-Hearing Month in May! Make your wish list and help your patients get ready to buy the apps they need at our lowest prices. The sale will run May 1-15 for iOS and Android. |
Tactus Therapy
We're a speech therapy software company making evidence-based treatment for adults with stroke, brain injury, and other conditions more accessible.
When people with aphasia can't get words out, they often feel silly. Or stupid. It can bring on a whole range of emotions: frustration, sadness, confusion, anxiety, anger, embarrassment, and more. π For some patients and family members, it can be helpful to explain word retrieval, so they understand that saying words is actually a complex process. Let's take the word "kitten" for example: I often start by reassuring them... "You don't have to memorize everything on here. I just want to show...
When someone has aphasia, it might seem like they're forgetting the words. You might be tempted to explain word-finding difficulty as a "memory problem." But aphasia is a bit more complicated. When a word won't come out, it's still there. It's not forgotten. The problem is retrieval: pulling it out on demand, under time pressure, or in a specific moment. Our brain has to go through several steps to say a word, and any part of that process can be disrupted by aphasia. Let's take the word...
Patients with apraxia of speech (AOS) often have aphasia too. So they finally break through the word-finding wall ("I know the word I want!") only to hit a second one: motor planning. They know what they want to say, but the same word comes out three different ways β or not at all. Apraxia of speech is frustrating for your patients, and it can be intimidating to treat, but it's a lot more manageable with the right tools. For ready-made handouts, exercises and free HEPs for patients, try the...