Comparing the Effectiveness of Traditional Semantic Feature Analysis (SFA) Versus SFA Plus Metacognitive Strategy Training (SFA+MST) for People With Acquired Aphasia

Status: Recruiting
Location: See location...
Intervention Type: Behavioral
Study Type: Interventional
Study Phase: Phase 2
SUMMARY

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the effectiveness of traditional Semantic Feature Analysis (SFA) treatment to a modified SFA protocol that includes Metacognitive Strategy Training (SFA+MST) for adults with acquired aphasia. The main questions it aims to answer are: * What are the comparative outcomes in picture naming accuracy and strategy use during picture naming following 2 months of traditional SFA versus SFA + MST in adults with acquired aphasia? * What are the comparative outcomes in percent of informative content and rate of informative content during spontaneous speech production following 2 months of traditional SFA versus SFA + MST in adults with acquired aphasia? Researchers will compare outcomes between these two treatments to see if SFA+MST yields larger effects in picture naming and spontaneous speech outcomes than traditional SFA. Participants will complete: * 5-7 pre-treatment assessment sessions where they will be asked to name pictures, tell stories/describe pictures, answer questions, and complete questionnaires, * 3 treatment sessions of SFA \*OR\* SFA+MST per week for 8 weeks, for a total of 24 sessions, * 7 weekly probes (i.e., short, intermittent assessments throughout the treatment phase), * 3 post-treatment assessment sessions immediately after treatment ends, where they will complete the same assessment tasks as they did pre-treatment (e.g., naming pictures, telling stories, etc.), * 2 retention assessment sessions, one 30 days and the other 60 days following the final treatment session, where they will be asked to name pictures, tell stories/describe pictures, and describe what they learned during the study.

Eligibility
Participation Requirements
Sex: All
Minimum Age: 18
Maximum Age: 89
Healthy Volunteers: f
View:

• Have aphasia due to a single acute event (e.g., left-hemisphere stroke, traumatic brain injury)

• Be at least six-months post aphasia-onset,

• Be a proficient English speaker,

• Have normal or corrected to normal hearing (i.e., hearing aids) and vision (i.e., eyeglasses),

• Have no history of neurodegenerative disease (e.g., dementia), severe motor speech disorder, significant mental illness, psychiatric disorder, drug/alcohol abuse, or neurological condition that could influence their cognitive, language, and memory systems

Locations
United States
New York
Teachers College, Columbia University
RECRUITING
New York
Contact Information
Primary
Victoria Tilton-Bolowsky, Ph.D. CCC-SLP
veb2119@tc.columbia.edu
212-678-8302
Time Frame
Start Date: 2025-07-28
Estimated Completion Date: 2027-07
Participants
Target number of participants: 40
Treatments
Active_comparator: Traditional Semantic Feature Analysis
A portion of the study participants will participate in traditional Semantic Feature Analysis treatment, as described in Gravier, M. L., Dickey, M. W., Hula, W. D., Evans, W. S., Owens, R. L., Winans-Mitrik, R. L., \& Doyle, P. J. (2018). What matters in semantic feature analysis: Practice-related predictors of treatment response in aphasia. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 27(1S), 438-453. https://doi.org/10.1044/2017\_AJSLP-16-0196. Briefly, this treatment involves naming pictures of objects, describing the objects' features (e.g., category membership, physical attributes, etc.), and creating sentences using the objects' names.
Experimental: Semantic Feature Analysis + Metacognitive Strategy Training
A portion of the study participants will participate in traditional Semantic Feature Analysis treatment, as described in Tilton-Bolowsky, V. E., Brock, L., Nunn, K., Evans, W. S., \& Vallila-Rohter, S. (2023). Incorporating metacognitive strategy training into semantic treatment promotes restitutive and substitutive gains in naming: A single-subject investigation. American journal of speech-language pathology, 32(5), 1979-2020. https://doi.org/10.1044/2023\_AJSLP-22-00230. Briefly, this treatment involves metacognitive teaching and practice, naming pictures of objects, describing the objects' features (e.g., category membership, physical attributes, etc), creating sentences using the objects' names, debriefing on overall performance, and discussing recent and future opportunities for strategy implementation in real life.
Related Therapeutic Areas
Sponsors
Leads: Teachers College, Columbia University

This content was sourced from clinicaltrials.gov