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A Combined Speech-Language and Counseling Intervention for Primary Progressive Aphasia: Acceptability, Feasibility, and Preliminary Outcomes.

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Title: A Combined Speech-Language and Counseling Intervention for Primary Progressive Aphasia: Acceptability, Feasibility, and Preliminary Outcomes.
Authors: Mendez, Kristin Schaffer1 kmendez@usa.edu, Evans, William S.2, Wauters, Lisa D.1, Dutcher, Christina D.3, Philburn, Christina4, Henrya, Maya L.5
Source: Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research. Jun2026, Vol. 69 Issue 6, p2548-2567. 19p.
Subject Terms: *Psychotherapy, *Reading, *Data analysis, *Phonological awareness, *Aphasia, *Psychoeducation, *Goal (Psychology), *Behavior, *Emotions, *Communication, *Quality of life, *Counseling, *Cognitive therapy, *Psychological tests, *Interpersonal relations, *Speech therapy, Research funding, Stress management, Pilot projects, Questionnaires, Treatment effectiveness, Telerehabilitation, Descriptive statistics, Combined modality therapy, Statistics, Data analysis software, Psychosocial functioning
Geographic Terms: Canada, United States
Abstract: Purpose: Individuals with primary progressive aphasia (PPA) face negative psychosocial repercussions, yet few studies have investigated counseling for this population. In a prior study, a novel intervention encompassing script training and aphasia-modified cognitive behavioral therapy was piloted with an individual with PPA, yielding promising results. The purpose of this study is to determine the acceptability and feasibility of this intervention for individuals with different PPA subtypes, with secondary aims of understanding preliminary treatment outcomes and evaluating the sensitivity of selected psychosocial measures. Method: Nine participants with PPA were recruited (three with nonfluent/agrammatic variant, three with logopenic variant, and three with semantic variant). Acceptability was measured using a posttreatment questionnaire. Feasibility was examined via intervention adherence, independent practice engagement, retention, assessment completion, interrater reliability, and fidelity ratings. Speech-language outcomes were evaluated via hypothesis testing using simulation analysis from pre- to posttreatment for all participants and from pretreatment to follow-up time points for six participants. Counseling outcomes at posttreatment were measured via psychosocial scales and analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-ranks tests. Results: Findings indicate that this treatment is acceptable and feasible. All participants demonstrated significant improvement in speech-language performance following treatment, with five participants demonstrating significant improvement up to 1 year posttreatment. Despite promising qualitative evidence regarding counseling outcomes, a sensitive quantitative measure of psychosocial functioning was not identified. Conclusions: Pairing tailored speech-language interventions with counseling for individuals with heterogeneous PPA phenotypes is acceptable and feasible. Preliminary outcomes indicate positive communication findings and that alternative psychosocial measures may be beneficial in a future efficacy trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research is the property of American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
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  Data: A Combined Speech-Language and Counseling Intervention for Primary Progressive Aphasia: Acceptability, Feasibility, and Preliminary Outcomes.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Mendez%2C+Kristin+Schaffer%22">Mendez, Kristin Schaffer</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> kmendez@usa.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Evans%2C+William+S%2E%22">Evans, William S.</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Wauters%2C+Lisa+D%2E%22">Wauters, Lisa D.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Dutcher%2C+Christina+D%2E%22">Dutcher, Christina D.</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Philburn%2C+Christina%22">Philburn, Christina</searchLink><relatesTo>4</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Henrya%2C+Maya+L%2E%22">Henrya, Maya L.</searchLink><relatesTo>5</relatesTo>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Speech%2C+Language+%26+Hearing+Research%22">Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research</searchLink>. Jun2026, Vol. 69 Issue 6, p2548-2567. 19p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychotherapy%22">Psychotherapy</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Reading%22">Reading</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Data+analysis%22">Data analysis</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Phonological+awareness%22">Phonological awareness</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Aphasia%22">Aphasia</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychoeducation%22">Psychoeducation</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Goal+%28Psychology%29%22">Goal (Psychology)</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Behavior%22">Behavior</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Emotions%22">Emotions</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Communication%22">Communication</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Quality+of+life%22">Quality of life</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Counseling%22">Counseling</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cognitive+therapy%22">Cognitive therapy</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychological+tests%22">Psychological tests</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Interpersonal+relations%22">Interpersonal relations</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Speech+therapy%22">Speech therapy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Research+funding%22">Research funding</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Stress+management%22">Stress management</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Pilot+projects%22">Pilot projects</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Questionnaires%22">Questionnaires</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Treatment+effectiveness%22">Treatment effectiveness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Telerehabilitation%22">Telerehabilitation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Descriptive+statistics%22">Descriptive statistics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Combined+modality+therapy%22">Combined modality therapy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Statistics%22">Statistics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Data+analysis+software%22">Data analysis software</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychosocial+functioning%22">Psychosocial functioning</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Canada%22">Canada</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22United+States%22">United States</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Purpose: Individuals with primary progressive aphasia (PPA) face negative psychosocial repercussions, yet few studies have investigated counseling for this population. In a prior study, a novel intervention encompassing script training and aphasia-modified cognitive behavioral therapy was piloted with an individual with PPA, yielding promising results. The purpose of this study is to determine the acceptability and feasibility of this intervention for individuals with different PPA subtypes, with secondary aims of understanding preliminary treatment outcomes and evaluating the sensitivity of selected psychosocial measures. Method: Nine participants with PPA were recruited (three with nonfluent/agrammatic variant, three with logopenic variant, and three with semantic variant). Acceptability was measured using a posttreatment questionnaire. Feasibility was examined via intervention adherence, independent practice engagement, retention, assessment completion, interrater reliability, and fidelity ratings. Speech-language outcomes were evaluated via hypothesis testing using simulation analysis from pre- to posttreatment for all participants and from pretreatment to follow-up time points for six participants. Counseling outcomes at posttreatment were measured via psychosocial scales and analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-ranks tests. Results: Findings indicate that this treatment is acceptable and feasible. All participants demonstrated significant improvement in speech-language performance following treatment, with five participants demonstrating significant improvement up to 1 year posttreatment. Despite promising qualitative evidence regarding counseling outcomes, a sensitive quantitative measure of psychosocial functioning was not identified. Conclusions: Pairing tailored speech-language interventions with counseling for individuals with heterogeneous PPA phenotypes is acceptable and feasible. Preliminary outcomes indicate positive communication findings and that alternative psychosocial measures may be beneficial in a future efficacy trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research is the property of American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=194600811
RecordInfo BibRecord:
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    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1044/2026_JSLHR-25-00390
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        StartPage: 2548
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      – SubjectFull: Psychotherapy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Reading
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Data analysis
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Phonological awareness
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Aphasia
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychoeducation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Goal (Psychology)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Behavior
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Emotions
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Communication
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Quality of life
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Counseling
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cognitive therapy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychological tests
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Interpersonal relations
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      – SubjectFull: Speech therapy
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      – SubjectFull: United States
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      – TitleFull: A Combined Speech-Language and Counseling Intervention for Primary Progressive Aphasia: Acceptability, Feasibility, and Preliminary Outcomes.
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              Text: Jun2026
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