INFLUENCE OF TYPE OF APHASIA AND TYPE OF TREATMENT ON APHASIC PATIENTS PRAGMATIC PERFORMANCE

We investigated change in aphasic patients' pragmatic abilities in con versation between 4 and 48 weeks post-onset. Ten patients were fluent, and 10 were non-fluent. All patients received 6-8 h of treatment each week for 44 weeks. However, 10 patients received group treatment with no direct manipulation of language impairment, and 10 patients receiv ed individual, stimulus-response treatment for language deficits. Mean conversational pragmatic ability for the 20 patients was 85% appropri ate at 4 weeks post-onset. Mean performance after 44 weeks of treatmen t was 92% appropriate. There were no significant differences in pragma tic abilities between fluent and non-fluent patients, and overall impr ovement in pragmatic abilities was not influenced by the type of treat ment, group or individual. However, group-treated patients showed sign ificant change in pragmatic abilities during the first 11 weeks of tre atment, whereas individually treated patients did not.