Assessment of Aphasia Flashcards
assessment types
- standardized assessments
- caregiver/self-reporting measures
- ethnographic interviewing
- observation techniques
- language sample
- dynamic assessment
considerations for standardized assessments
- coexisting diagnoses
- primary language/dialect
- level of education
caregiver/self-reporting measures
- questionnaires
- checklists
- rating scales
ethnographic interviewing
- open-ended questions
- restatement
- summarizing
restatement
- “what I’m hearing you say is…”
- hear it back and clarify/deny
- not putting your thoughts into their mouth
summarizing
- can validate your assessment findings
- can assist with POC and adjusting services if necessary
observation techniques
- analog tasks
- naturalistic observation
- systematic observation
analog tasks
- simulated or stated communication contexts
- observing, set up a situation and wait for their response
naturalistic observation
- everyday social settings
- observing them and their interactions within a setting
systematic observation
- variety of contexts, settings, and tasks
- how are they in speech therapy? OT? with family>
language sampling
- goal is to elicit spontaneous language
- helps to support standardize assessment
- look for paraphasias, agrammatisms, utterance length, etc.
dynamic assessment
methods involving initial testing, skills are addressed in treatment, individual is retested to determine treatment outcome
general assessment considerations for aphasia
- concurrent motor speech impairment (dysarthria/apraxia)
- limb or oral apraxia
- hearing status and auditory agnosia
- concurrent cognitive impairment
- visual agnosia, deficits, visual neglect
- hemiparesis
- endurance
comprehensive assessment outlined: World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework
- impairments in body structure and function
- comorbid deficits
- limitations in activity and participation
- environmental and personal factors
- quality of life
comprehensive assessment WHO criteria
- impairments in body structure and function
- comorbid deficits
- limitations in activity and participation
- environmental and personal factors
- the impact of communication impairments on quality of life, functional limitations relative to the individual’s premorbid social roles, and the impact on their community
comprehensive assessment WHO criteria: impairments in body structure and function
including underlying weaknesses in expressive and receptive language that affect communication performance
comprehensive assessment WHO criteria: comorbid deficits
such as other health conditions and medications that can affect communication performance
comprehensive assessment WHO criteria: limitations in activity and participation
including changes in, and impact on, functional status in communication and interpersonal interactions
comprehensive assessment WHO criteria: environmental and personal factors
that serve as barriers to, or facilitation of, successful communication and life participation
part of the assessment
- case history
- motor speech exam
- language skills
- environmental factors
- differential diagnosis
- assessment results
- recommendations
- goals (SMART)
case history
- medical history and recent medical status, including vision and hearing
- mental health history
- educational and health literacy level
- work history
- hobbies and personal interests
- cultural and linguistic backgrounds
- typical communication environments (where, how, and why someone communicates)
- knowledge of aphasia
- current communication strategies
- perception of functional communication status
- desired outcome of engagement with varied communication partners and home, vocational, and community-based activities
- language used in various communication environments
- preferences and goals
motor speech exam
assess articulatory processes including rate, amplitude, accuracy, and consistency of movement
language skills
assess expressive and receptive skills in spoken/signed and written language
language skills: consider these specifics
- word, sentence, and paragraph comprehension (spoken/signed and written)
- naming
- repetition
- spontaneous speech
- discourse
- word, sentence, and paragraph writing
- gestures
environmental factors
- support from family, care partners, and the community
- feasibility and acceptance of compensatory strategies
- comorbidities
differential diagnosis
list of possible diagnoses that could be causing the presenting symptoms
differential diagnosis: considerations
- previous medical diagnoses
- aphasia type
- lesion location
assessment results
- diagnosis of a language or other communication disorder (dysarthria, acquired apraxia of speech, cognitive-communication disorder)
- descriptor
- prognosis for change
assessment results: descriptor
- characteristics
- severity
- functional impact of the language disorder
recommendations for
- intervention
- support
- community resources
- referral for other assessments or services
goals (SMART)
- specific
- measurable
- achievable
- relevant
- time-bound
