A Dialogical Approach to Aphasia Intervention

Agan, Joseph P. and Hagstrom, Fran
A Dialogical Approach to Aphasia Intervention. In Clinical Aphasiology Conference: Clinical Aphasiology Conference (2004 : 34th : Park City, UT : May 2004) / : (2004).

Abstract

The presentation describes two case examples of use of mini-dramas in a dialogical context to elicit spontaneous, intelligible utterances in clients with severe apraxia and aphasia. The dialogical approach uses Bahktian principles to organize therapeutic interactions in aphasia management. The approach is briefly compared with current social and functional communication interventions. Case examples will be used to illustrate the process of designing a dialogical approach and demonstrate communication outcomes. The discussion will speculate about neurophysiological mechanisms involved in facilitating fluent and intelligible verbal utterances.