Clinical Trial: Evaluation of the Effects of Response Elaboration Training for Aphasia

Study Status: Completed
Recruit Status: Completed
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: Evaluation of the Effects of Response Elaboration Training for Aphasia

Brief Summary: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of Response Elaboration Training (RET), which is a speech/language therapy for aphasia. The study is designed to determine whether verbal language production improves in terms of content and length of utterances as a result of treatment.

Detailed Summary:

Detailed Description:

Extended description of the protocol, including information not already contained in other fields, such as comparison(s) studied.

Example:

Sudden out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OOH-CA) remains a significant cause of death, in spite of recent declines in overall mortality from cardiovascular disease. Existing methods of emergency resuscitation are inadequate due to time delays inherent in the transport of a trained responder with defibrillation capabilities to the side of the OOH-CA victim. Existing Emergency Medical Services (EMS) systems typically combine paramedic Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) services with some level of community involvement, such as bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training. Some communities include automated external defibrillators (AEDs) at isolated sites or in mobile police or fire vehicles. A comprehensive, integrated community approach to treatment with AEDs would have community units served by these volunteer non-medical responders who can quickly identify and treat a patient with OOH-CA. Such an approach is termed Public Access Defibrillation (PAD).

Comparison(s): Community units trained and equipped to provide public access defibrillation in addition to optimal standard care, compared to community units trained to provide optimal standard care (recognition of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, 911 access, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation).

The purpose of the proposed research is to thoroughly evaluate the effects of Response Elaboration Training (RET) with persons with aphasia. Specifically, the proposed research investigation is designed to delineate the outcomes that may be expected with RET. The study is a
Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development

Current Primary Outcome: verbal production of meaningful content words in connected speech [ Time Frame: 3 and 6 weeks following completion of treatment ]

Participants were asked to describe pictured scenes and to provide a monologue on a topic of their choice. Their speech/language was audio recorded during these tasks and recordings were transcribed by project speech/language pathologists. Counts of content words were made.


Original Primary Outcome:

  • Production of content in discourse at 6 weeks following
  • completion of treatment.


Current Secondary Outcome:

Original Secondary Outcome:

  • Production of content and mean length of utterance
  • in 1) picture descriptions, 2) story retells, 3)
  • conversations with familiar speaking partners, and
  • 4) 5 minute monologues. Measures will be taken repeatedly
  • through all phases of the study and at 3 and 6 weeks post-
  • treatment.


Information By: VA Office of Research and Development

Dates:
Date Received: July 27, 2005
Date Started: December 2004
Date Completion:
Last Updated: April 4, 2014
Last Verified: April 2014