Training volunteers as conversation partners using "Supported Conversationfor Adults with Aphasia" (SCA): A controlled trial

This article reports the development and evaluation of a new intervention t ermed "Supported Conversation for Adults with Aphasia" (SCA). The approach is based on the idea that the inherent competence of people with aphasia ca n be revealed through the skill of a conversation partner. The intervention approach was developed at a community-based aphasia center where volunteer s interact with individuals with chronic aphasia and their Families. The ex perimental study was designed to test whether training improves the convers ational skills of volunteers, and, if so, whether the improvements affect t he communication of their conversation partners with aphasia. Twenty volunt eers received SCA training, and 20 control volunteers were merely exposed t o people with aphasia. Comparisons between the groups' scores on a Measure of Supported Conversation For Adults with Aphasia provide support for the e fficacy of SCA. Trained volunteers scored significantly higher than untrain ed volunteers on ratings of acknowledging competence [F(1, 36) = 19.1, p < .001] and revealing competence [F(1, 36) = 159.0, p < .001] of their partne rs with aphasia. The training also produced a positive change in ratings of social [F(1, 36)= 5.7, p < .023] and message exchange skills [F(1, 36)= 17 .6, p < .001] of individuals with aphasia, even though these individuals di d not participate in the training. implications for the treatment of aphasi a and an argument For a social model of intervention are discussed.