Achieving a common understanding of a person with aphasia’s self-assessments of progress in speech and communication

Authors

  • Elisabeth Muth Andersen University of Southern Denmark
  • Jytte Isaksen University of Southern Denmark

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/jircd.31342

Keywords:

Outcome assessment, Aphasia, Supported Conversation for Adults with Aphasia, Person-centered care, Conversation Analysis, Self-assessments, Question formatting

Abstract

This article demonstrates how a person with aphasia (PWA) and a speech and language therapist (SLT) collaboratively arrive at a common understanding of the PWAs assessments of his progress in speech and communication. This is done as part of a mandatory outcome evaluation of aphasia therapy. Interactional adaptive strategies known from Supported Conversation for Adults with Aphasia (SCA) are used. By making use of conversation analysis we analyse an assessment sequence initiated with an open question and a sequence initiated with several closed questions and pen and paper. The analyses confirm that adaptive strategies may lead to communication characterized by less interactional trouble, i.e. ‘repair’. The analyses also point at how question formatting and sequential organization may be used to guide, model and transform the PWA’s answers. Building on previous research as well as participants’ displayed understandings in the interaction we discuss perspectives of using SCA strategies in institutional interaction involving PWA.

Author Biographies

  • Elisabeth Muth Andersen, University of Southern Denmark

    Elisabeth Muth Andersen is a research assistant at the Department of Language and Communication, University of Southern Denmark, and is a member of the research group Social Practices and Cognition. Her PhD explores micro-analytic methodologies (EM/CA) used on the analysis of online health communication (Andersen, 2015). Her research focuses on social interaction and language use in various kinds of healthcare and institutional settings such as interactions involving people with aphasia and people with dementia.

  • Jytte Isaksen, University of Southern Denmark

    Jytte Isaksen is lecturer at the Department of Language and Communication, University of Southern Denmark, and is a member of the research group Social Practices and Cognition. She researches clinical issues in aphasia therapy mainly with qualitative approaches. She teaches aphasia and research methodology amongst others in the Audiology and Speech-Language Therapy programs. A recent publication is ‘Assessments in outcome evaluation in aphasia therapy: Substantiating the claim’ (Isaksen and Brouwer, 2015, this journal).

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Published

2017-02-01

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Andersen, E., & Isaksen, J. (2017). Achieving a common understanding of a person with aphasia’s self-assessments of progress in speech and communication. Journal of Interactional Research in Communication Disorders, 8(1), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1558/jircd.31342