Integrative Reconnective Aphasia Therapy (IRAT) Summer Newsletter |
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JUNE: NATIONAL APHASIA AWARENESS MONTH |
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**Please note that due to the length of the newsletter, if you're receiving this via email, your email may "clip the message." Be sure to click "view entire message" at the end of the email. Our newsletters will always end with a "subscribe" button.** |
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APHASIA EDUCATION AND ADVOCACY: We Still Have A Lot of Work To Do.... |
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The National Aphasia Association (NAA) conducted a survey this year to learn how much the general public knows about Aphasia. It turns out we still have a lot of work to do... | | |
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WHAT ARE OUR CLIENTS DOING? |
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Andy is interested in becoming a teacher. He started volunteering at the local elementary school and reads to the students. Andy is also an avid sports fan. You can see him below playing at Topgolf. Since his brain injury, Andy has had to modify his golf swing, but as you can see, it hasn't stopped him! |
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John uses the app "Game Pigeon" to play his son in chess online. He taught his son how to play chess and now they play each day. His son has only beaten him once! John loves chess and this online version has helped him stay connected with his son virtually. |
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George loves to garden. A large garden was going to be too much to care for this year, so he adapted and created a smaller, more manageable garden. George is growing raspberries, tomatoes, and strawberries. He also recently added a fig tree and a peach tree! |
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Anand has been enjoying extra time with his kids during the lockdown, and is showing off his artistic talents while teaching his kids the process of photosynthesis as part of their homework. |
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Anand has also started a new chapter in his life, writing a book about his journey, and as a motivational speaker, encourages and inspires others to never give up. |
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Interested in being featured in our next newsletter? Let us know! blang@iraphasiatherapy.com |
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TECHNOLOGY: Why It's More Important Than Ever... |
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Aphasia makes communicating with family and friends challenging. People with Aphasia often rely on visual cues such as facial expressions, gestures, or written words to enhance their speaking and understanding. However, social distancing rules and face masks have created a new roadblock to communicating with our loved ones. Technology can help us feel connected. | | |
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Participating in research programs can be a great way to receive therapy, sometimes intensive, at no or low cost. Some research programs will even provide monetary support if you have to travel to participate. We have suggested several research programs here. However, you can contact your local universities to see if they may have an Aphasia research program. | | |
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Researchers at Penn State are currently recruiting persons with Aphasia to participate in research exploring sentence comprehension. |
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Participant Requirements - Must have a diagnosis of Aphasia
- Must have had a stroke more than 6 months ago
- Must not have any other acquired or developmental neurological or psychiatric disorder (e.g., Parkinson’s, TBI, autism, schizophrenia)
- Must be a native English speaker
- Must have normal or corrected-to-normal vision and hearing
- Must have completed at least a high school education
What is involved? If you choose to participate, we will ask you to read sentences and answer questions about them. You will also be asked to fill out a neurological history questionnaire and complete a standardized test. Your total time commitment should not be more than 8 hours (average time is currently 4-6 hours). Participants will be paid $10/hr. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we will conduct sessions over Zoom and payment will be in Amazon gift cards. Contact Lexi Basciano, B.S. Research Assistant, SANDLab alb6216@psu.edu Frances Blanchette, Ph.D. Assistant Director, Center for Language Science Assistant Research Professor, Psychology 814-863-7392 fkb1@psu.edu Chaleece Sandberg, Ph.D., CCC-SLP Director, SANDLab Assistant Professor, Communication Sciences and Disorders 814-863-2006 cws18@psu.edu |
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Aphasia Games for Health Building a gaming community for people with Aphasia by supporting the development of games for recovery, providing resources for designers, and making Aphasia friendly games accessible. Learn how to get involved. |
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CARING FOR THE CAREGIVER: How Can We Do More? |
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We believe that caring for the caregiver is equally as important as caring for our clients with Aphasia. We can’t expect our caregivers to provide the level of support that is necessary in helping our patients with Aphasia regain their emotional, physical, social, and communicative well beings if they’re not taken care of. As Speech Language Pathologists, we often wonder how we can be doing more to care for the caregiver. Our primary role is to provide education to caregivers about Aphasia---but is that enough? | | |
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A POWERFUL MESSAGE FROM A CAREGIVER |
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Caregiver Resources Aphasia Recovery Connection: In addition to supporting PWA, ARC provides online support groups and resources for Care Partners. National Aphasia Association: Provides resources for caregivers along with a database to search for therapy and group services in your area. The Aphasia Center: Caregiver stories to provide support and "meet" other families that may be going through similar situations. R.E.S.C.U.E.: Resources and Education for Stroke Caregivers to help them better care for their loved ones and themselves. Aphasia Simulations: Provides simulations for what it may feel like to have Aphasia. |
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TELEHEALTH: Making the Transition Easier |
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These are a few of our favorite ways to easily convert traditional treatment activities into telepractice. |
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Barrier Task using Google Images - Using Google images, keyword search people and recreational activities
- Share screen with participant
- Engage in barrier task, asking them to select and communicate ONE picture via multiple modalities.
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Semantic Feature Analysis (SFA) - Develop a simple SFA template via PowerPoint
- Share PowerPoint with participant
- Use annotation to write in their generated responses, or provide participant with "remote control" access and have them type their responses
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Spatial Direction Task: Numbers - Develop a picture or number scene as depicted here
- Give participant "remote control" access, allowing them to draw on scene
- Provide multi-step directions asking them to process and follow variety of commands
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BECOME BOARD CERTIFIED ANCDS board certification is a way for speech-language pathologists to be recognized for their expertise helping people with neurologically-based communication difficulties. | | |
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Brooke Lang, M.A., CCC-SLP, owner of Integrative Reconnective Aphasia Therapy, will be releasing an e-book available for purchase on Amazon. "After Aphasia" addresses the basics of Aphasia and how it affects everyone differently, discusses the role of motivation in recovery, provides examples of exercises supported by principles of neuroplasticity, and much more! There will also be an AUDIO VERSION available for download! Be sure to subscribe below to get all updates from Integrative Reconnective Aphasia Therapy. |
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If you would like to UNSUBSCRIBE from future emails, please email us at blang@iraphasiatherapy.com |
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