ASSESSING FUNCTIONAL COMMUNICATION IN APHASIA - CLINICAL UTILITY AND TIME DEMANDS OF 3 METHODS

A variety of methods has recently been used to assess everyday communi cation abilities in aphasic adults. This study compares three such met hods for their clinical utility and the amount of a therapist's time t hey use. The three methods employed a standard rating schedule complet ed by relatives, analysis of speech elicited through role-play and a p artial analysis of everyday conversation samples. The utility of these assessments as a clinical tool was measured in terms of the therapist 's time needed, and the assessment's ability to show stability or chan ge of communicative effectiveness on test-re-test measures and to illu minate areas for therapeutic intervention. Eight aphasic adults (five acute and three chronic) were tested on all three assessments, then re -tested after a period of 3 months. The results suggested that, althou gh more time-consuming, the partial conversational analysis was a more sensitive measure of stability or change of communicative effectivene ss over time than the other two measures, and had the potential advant age for indirect intervention of revealing conversational strategies u sed by the partner as well as those used by the aphasic individual.