Purpose In this study, we evaluate the use of a technology called the Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) Pro System to quantify the language of a participant with severe Wernicke's aphasia in their home environment. We aimed to characterize language use at home, particularly as it changed in response to an intensive aphasia treatment. Method The participant was trained to use a wearable recording device pre and post 30 hr of intensive aphasia treatment. LENA software was used to process the language data and to determine word counts and conversational turns and compared to manual analysis. Various communication variables were coded for all conversation samples. Results The participant operated the device independently and provided 30 hr of recordings for analysis. Posttreatment, the participant demonstrated a 78.4% increase in adult word count, a 27.5% increase in conversational turn count, an increase in the number of communication partners, and in the diversity of communication environments. There was a 26% decrease in the amount of time spent on electronics and a 140% increase in the number of instances conversing in a social setting. Manual and automated measures showed poor agreement for this particular participant. Conclusions In this study, we establish the feasibility of using LENA to collect language samples in a participant with severe Wernicke's aphasia in their home environment. Using this method, we were able to characterize and quantify language samples in multiple dimensions before and after language treatment.

No abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this systematic review is to identify the utility of metacognitive therapeutic intervention for persons with acquired brain injury (ABI), with a focus on persons with aphasia.MethodsA search of six databases resulted in two hundred and sixty-six unique manuscripts relating to the explicit use of metacognitive treatment for people with ABI. Two independent reviewers rated abstracts for inclusion or exclusion of the study given predetermined criteria. Twenty-nine articles, five of which included people with aphasia, were selected for inclusion in this systematic review. SCED+ and PEDro+ rating scales were used to rate the methodological quality of each study.ResultsMethodological quality of the 29 studies that met inclusion criteria ranged from weak to high quality studies. Three -hundred and sixty-nine individuals with ABI took part in the 29 studies. Varying treatment methods were employed. Outcome measures were inconsistent. Metacognitive treatment has been applied to people with aphasia with positive results, but efficacy of the treatment cannot yet be determined.ConclusionsMetacognitive therapeutic intervention tends to be effective for persons with acquired brain injury (ABI) despite variability between intervention designs and treatment outcomes across studies. Due to so few studies with participants with aphasia, we were unable to draw conclusions regarding the efficacy of metacognitive treatment for people with aphasia. Further research on the efficacy of metacognitive treatment for this population is warranted.