Intervention for Communication Quality of Life in Primary Progressive Aphasia

N/ARecruitingNCT07219680

University of Texas at Austin25 enrolled

Overview

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine whether individually tailored speech-language telerehabilitation helps improve communication in people with primary progressive aphasia (PPA), a form of dementia that affects speech and language. The study will be offered to individuals who speak English and/or Spanish. The study will also document how acceptable and beneficial the program is to both patients and their care partners. The main questions the study aims to answer are: 1. Is the telerehabilitation program feasible and acceptable for people with PPA and their care partners? 2. Do participants with PPA and care partners find treatment beneficial? 3. Which outcome measures are most useful for evaluating changes in communication and quality of life? 4. What patterns of treatment response are seen in participants after completing the program? The program includes both speech-language therapy and training for care partners. Participants with PPA will: 1. Complete virtual communication tasks and questionnaires before and after the program 2. Take part in online speech-language therapy sessions 3. Include their care partners in some parts of the program for training and support

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Primary Progressive Aphasia(PPA)Semantic Dementia

Interventions

Multicomponent Lexical Retrieval TrainingBEHAVIORAL

In person or via teletherapy: A multi-component treatment incorporating elements of restitutive, compensatory, and care-partner focused interventions. Participants work on producing names of personally relevant target in multiple communication modalities. Biweekly (approximately one hour each) sessions with a clinician target multimodal communication and the use of strategies to support word retrieval. These skills are also trained via daily independent practice. The participant meets four times during the course of treatment with a study partner (e.g., spouse) for communication counseling, education, and practice of communication strategies.

Multicomponent Video Implemented Script Training in AphasiaBEHAVIORAL

In person or via teletherapy: A multi-component treatment incorporating elements of restitutive, compensatory, and care-partner focused interventions. Treatment focuses on production of individually-tailored, personally relevant scripts. The participant completes 30 minutes per day of independent practice, during which they speak in unison with a video model. Biweekly (approximately one hour each) sessions with a clinician target clear and accurate script production, memorization, and conversational usage, as well as multimodal communication. The participant meets 6 times during the course of treatment with a study partner (e.g., spouse) for communication counseling, education, and practice of communication strategies.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 40 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria for Persons with PPA: * A PPA (Gorno-Tempini et al., 2011) or "PPA-plus" (Mesulam et al., 2001) diagnosis * MMSE score of \> 15 and must be able to produce single monosyllabic words intelligibly. * Must speak English, Spanish or both languages (i.e., bilingual speakers of English or Spanish) * Hearing and vision adequate for participation in teleconference meetings * Must have a care partner available (someone who will commit to attending teleconference sessions weekly during treatment phases) Inclusion criteria for Care Partners: * Partners must express willingness to attend and participate in treatment sessions including those targeting dyadic communication goals * Partners must speak English, Spanish or both languages (i.e., bilingual speakers of English or Spanish) * Partner's hearing and vision should be adequate for participation in teleconference meetings Exclusion criteria for persons with PPA: * Other central nervous system or medical diagnosis that can account for symptoms * Psychiatric diagnosis that can account for symptoms * The participant and/or study partner must have basic experience using a computer.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Change in spoken naming of trained/untrained items

Percent correctly named trained/untrained pictures

Time frame: change from pre-treatment to post-treatment (11 weeks after treatment onset) and follow-up at 3 months post-treatment

Change in script production accuracy

Percent correct intelligible, scripted words for trained/untrained scripts

Time frame: change from pre-treatment to post-treatment (9 weeks after treatment onset) and follow-up at 3 months post-treatment

Change in barriers and facilitators in dyad conversation

Number of conversation barriers and facilitators observed in conversation

Time frame: change from pre-treatment to post-treatment (9-11 weeks after treatment onset) and follow-ups at 3 months post-treatment

Goal Attainment Score

The Goal Attainment Score measures self-reported progress on personalized goals based on a five point scale, with higher values indicating better goal attainment. The minimum score is -2 (much less than expected) and the maximum score is +2 (much more than expected).