Comparing Traditional Semantic Feature Analysis (tSFA) and Semantic Feature Analysis + Metacognitive Strategy Training (SFA+MST)

Teachers College, Columbia University

Status and phase: Not yet enrolling; Phase 2

Conditions: Aphasia Non Fluent; Aphasia, Expressive; Aphasia, Conduction; Aphasia, Anomic; Aphasia, Rehabilitation; Aphasia, Acquired; Aphasia, Mixed; Aphasia Following Cerebral Infarction; Aphasia; Aphasia, Broca

Treatments: Behavioral: Semantic Feature Analysis + Metacognitive Strategy Training; Behavioral: Semantic Feature Analysis (traditional)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07036406

TeachersCCU

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the effectiveness of traditional Semantic Feature Analysis (SFA) treatment to a modified SFA protocol that includes Metacognitive Strategy Training (SFA+MST) for adults with acquired aphasia. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• What are the comparative outcomes in picture naming accuracy and strategy use during picture naming following 2 months of traditional SFA versus SFA + MST in adults with acquired aphasia?
• What are the comparative outcomes in percent of informative content and rate of informative content during spontaneous speech production following 2 months of traditional SFA versus SFA + MST in adults with acquired aphasia?

Researchers will compare outcomes between these two treatments to see if SFA+MST yields larger effects in picture naming and spontaneous speech outcomes than traditional SFA.

Participants will complete:

• 5-7 pre-treatment assessment sessions where they will be asked to name pictures, tell stories/describe pictures, answer questions, and complete questionnaires,
• 3 treatment sessions of SFA *OR* SFA+MST per week for 8 weeks, for a total of 24 sessions,
• 7 weekly probes (i.e., short, intermittent assessments throughout the treatment phase),
• 3 post-treatment assessment sessions immediately after treatment ends, where they will complete the same assessment tasks as they did pre-treatment (e.g., naming pictures, telling stories, etc.),
• 2 retention assessment sessions, one 30 days and the other 60 days following the final treatment session, where they will be asked to name pictures, tell stories/describe pictures, and describe what they learned during the study.

Enrollment: 40 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 89 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Have aphasia due to a single acute event (e.g., left-hemisphere stroke, traumatic brain injury)
• Be at least six-months post aphasia-onset,
• Be a proficient English speaker,
• Have normal or corrected to normal hearing (i.e., hearing aids) and vision (i.e., eyeglasses),
• Have no history of neurodegenerative disease (e.g., dementia), severe motor speech disorder, significant mental illness, psychiatric disorder, drug/alcohol abuse, or neurological condition that could influence their cognitive, language, and memory systems

Exclusion criteria

• A history of neurodegenerative disease (e.g., dementia), severe motor speech disorder, significant mental illness, psychiatric disorder, drug/alcohol abuse, or neurological condition that could influence their cognitive, language, and memory systems,
• Children under the age of 18,
• Adults over the age of 89,
• Uncorrected hearing and vision.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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40 participants in 2 patient groups

Traditional Semantic Feature Analysis

Active Comparator group

Description:

A portion of the study participants will participate in traditional Semantic Feature Analysis treatment, as described in Gravier, M. L., Dickey, M. W., Hula, W. D., Evans, W. S., Owens, R. L., Winans-Mitrik, R. L., \& Doyle, P. J. (2018). What matters in semantic feature analysis: Practice-related predictors of treatment response in aphasia. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 27(1S), 438-453. https://doi.org/10.1044/2017_AJSLP-16-0196. Briefly, this treatment involves naming pictures of objects, describing the objects' features (e.g., category membership, physical attributes, etc.), and creating sentences using the objects' names.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Semantic Feature Analysis (traditional)

Semantic Feature Analysis + Metacognitive Strategy Training

Experimental group

Description:

A portion of the study participants will participate in traditional Semantic Feature Analysis treatment, as described in Tilton-Bolowsky, V. E., Brock, L., Nunn, K., Evans, W. S., \& Vallila-Rohter, S. (2023). Incorporating metacognitive strategy training into semantic treatment promotes restitutive and substitutive gains in naming: A single-subject investigation. American journal of speech-language pathology, 32(5), 1979-2020. https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_AJSLP-22-00230. Briefly, this treatment involves metacognitive teaching and practice, naming pictures of objects, describing the objects' features (e.g., category membership, physical attributes, etc), creating sentences using the objects' names, debriefing on overall performance, and discussing recent and future opportunities for strategy implementation in real life.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Semantic Feature Analysis + Metacognitive Strategy Training