Department of Human Communication Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Neuropsychol Rehabil. 2012;22(4):609-33. doi: 10.1080/09602011.2012.679030. Epub 2012 Apr 30.
Language therapy for word-finding difficulties in aphasia usually involves picture naming of single words with the support of cues. Most studies have addressed nouns in isolation, even though in connected speech nouns are more frequently produced with determiners. We hypothesised that improved word finding in connected speech would be most likely if intervention treated nouns in usual syntactic contexts. Six speakers with aphasia underwent language therapy using a software program developed for the purpose, which provided lexical and syntactic (determiner) cues. Exposure to determiners with nouns would potentially lead to improved picture naming of both treated and untreated nouns, and increased production of determiner plus noun combinations in connected speech. After intervention, picture naming of treated words improved for five of the six speakers, but naming of untreated words was unchanged. The number of determiner plus noun combinations in connected speech increased for four speakers. These findings attest to the close relationship between frequently co-occurring content and function words, and indicate that intervention for word-finding deficits can profitably proceed beyond single word naming, to retrieval in appropriate syntactic contexts. We also examined the relationship between effects of therapy, and amount and intensity of therapy. We found no relationship between immediate effects and amount or intensity of therapy. However, those participants whose naming maintained at follow-up completed the therapy regime in fewer sessions, of relatively longer duration. We explore the relationship between therapy regime and outcomes, and propose future considerations for research.
失语症患者的单词查找困难通常需要在提示的帮助下进行单个单词的图片命名。大多数研究都是孤立地研究名词，尽管在连续的话语中，名词更常与限定词一起出现。我们假设，如果干预措施以通常的句法语境来治疗名词，那么在连续话语中单词查找的改善就最有可能。六名失语症患者接受了使用专门为此开发的软件程序进行的语言治疗，该程序提供了词汇和句法（限定词）提示。与名词一起使用限定词可能会导致受治疗和未受治疗的名词的图片命名得到改善，并增加连续话语中限定词加名词组合的生成。干预后，六名患者中有五名的治疗词图片命名有所改善，但未治疗词的命名没有变化。四名患者的连续话语中限定词加名词组合的数量有所增加。这些发现证明了经常共同出现的内容词和功能词之间的密切关系，并表明，单词查找缺陷的干预可以从单个单词命名扩展到适当的句法语境中进行检索，从而获得收益。我们还检查了治疗效果与治疗的数量和强度之间的关系。我们发现，即刻效果与治疗的数量或强度之间没有关系。但是，那些在随访中命名保持不变的参与者完成了治疗方案的疗程较短，持续时间相对较长。我们探讨了治疗方案与结果之间的关系，并为未来的研究提出了一些考虑因素。
