I can't believe September is already almost over. It's been a crazy month for me and I'm sure for most of you as well. I came across this article as I was doing an assignment for my aural rehab class. The author writes about information and advice regarding the treatment of individuals with aphasia in an audiological setting, but the information is applicable and valuable to any professional working with such a person. I've provided the abstract at the bottom of the post, but here a few highlighted strategies to share:
-SLOW DOWN! Present language clearly and slowly, but not in an unnatural manner
-SIMPLIFY the message: make it less complex in terms of amount of information presented and grammar or vocabulary used
-SUPPLEMENT spoken language with other modalities (ex. writing, gesturing, communication devices)
-REPETITION: to assure they're truly understanding you
-INVOLVE other individuals, namely family or close friends - they know the person better than you do and can facilitate more effective communication strategies
-DIRECT your attention to the person as much as possible: these individuals have acquired a communication disorder and we need to respect their humanity and independence
As professionals, our main concern should always be helping individuals improve on their particular needs to the best of our ability. As Christians, we should hold ourselves accountable to provide the most caring, empathetic, and effective treatment as possible. While you work in clinic, medical, and school settings or learn in a classroom to prepare to do these things, keep information like this in the back of your mind always! :)
Silkes, J.
P. (2012, June). Providing Audiological Services to Individuals With Aphasia:
Considerations, Preliminary Recommendations, and a Call for Research. American Journal of Audiology, 21.
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