“My loved one is going to speech-language therapy… is that enough?”

When I am asked this question, I encourage caregivers, friends and family members to ask a different question instead:

What can we do to get the BEST outcome for my loved one?

Researchers have been investigating what doses or amounts of speech-language therapy might provide the best outcomes for people with aphasia. Unfortunately, answering this question is complicated for at least 2 reasons:

1. Aphasia can be caused by many different medical conditions
2. Each person’s experience with aphasia can be very different.

That being said: A systematic review from the Cochrane Foundation suggested that therapy at high intensity and high frequency over a longer period of time may support better outcomes for stroke survivors with aphasia (Brady et al., 2016). The authors of the review did acknowledge that intensive therapies may not be appropriate for everyone and that the studies reviewed had small numbers of participants.

In my personal experience as a speech-language pathologist, I have seen the benefits of intensive therapy sessions first-hand. This has been especially noticeable for people with aphasia who are in the early stages of their recovery.

While more research is needed to define “optimal” therapy, I personally believe that higher intensity practice, for many people, leads to better results.

But are most people getting frequent, intensive therapy services? Nope.

Reasons are many but here’s a few:

1. Poor staffing and limited therapy appointment openings
2. No clinics or therapy centers within a person’s residential area
3. Limitations related to finances or insurance.
4. Long commutes to get to therapy or limited transportation

The question becomes:

What can you do to help support your loved one’s recovery if you have limited or no access to therapy?

Answer: Get started NOW with communication practice at home!

Home practice improves the frequency and intensity or your loved one’s practice AND offers additional benefits such as:

• Direct application of communication strategies in meaningful, daily interactions
• Better communication and connection with the PEOPLE that matter most to your loved one
• Better consistency in practice regardless of clinic cancellations, insurance limitations, etc.

Is therapy with a speech-language pathologist still important: YES.

Think of therapy sessions as instructional sessions to help prepare you for your home practice.

I encourage you to sit in on your loved one’s therapy sessions. Ask questions. Get involved. Collaborate with the therapist to develop home exercises that you feel able to do with your loved one at home. Let your therapist know if you are having difficulty with home practice. A good therapist can help problem-solve with you and give you ideas or alternatives to consider.

Should you start communication practice at home even if you don’t have consistent access to therapy? YES!

Are there are things you can start doing now? YES!!

Download our FREE resource to get started:
5 Easy-to-Lead Exercises for Aphasia

So, “Is therapy enough?” or “Is therapy by itself optimal?”
I think the answer for most people is “no”.

Consider home practice as a key part of your loved one’s rehabilitation.

Until next time,

Practice early, practice often

References:

Brady, M. C., Kelly, H., Godwin, J., Enderby, P., & Campbell, P. (2016). Speech and language therapy for aphasia following stroke. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (6), Article CD000425. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD000425.pub4