Clinical Efficacy of a Combined Cognitive-Language Rehabilitation Intervention: Evidence From Greek Patients With Stroke-Induced Aphasia.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to implement a novel intervention program integrating cognitive remediation and traditional speech and language therapy (SLT) in persons with aphasia (PWA) and to assess the effectiveness of this combined program in improving aphasic deficits.

METHOD: PWA following stroke were assigned to one of two study groups. In the combined treatment group (CTG; n = 12), participants were treated with traditional SLT and computerized cognitive training utilizing the Rehacom rehabilitation software, while the SLT group (SLTG; n = 10) received only traditional SLT targeting both speech comprehension and expression. Both groups underwent 40-min sessions twice a week for 2 months. Participants' cognitive and language skills were assessed pre- and post-treatment.

RESULTS

At baseline, groups were matched on age and educational level. Between-group comparisons indicated better performance in favor of the CTG on a set-shifting task (p = .019) and on naming and word repetition (p = .013 and p = .031, respectively) post-treatment. Within-group analysis revealed that performance on naming improved in both groups (p < .001 for CTG and p = .003 for SLTG). The CTG also significantly improved post-treatment in set-shifting (p = .020), while the SLTG also showed significant improvement on automatic speech (p = .046) and processing speed (p = .012) post-treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicated that the combined intervention was more efficacious than SLT alone on naming, repetition, and set-shifting tasks in this clinical group.