A Systematic Review of Maintenance Following Intensive Therapy Programs in Chronic Post-Stroke Aphasia: Importance of Individual Response Analysis
Disability and Rehabilitation
Menahemi-Falkov, M., Breitenstein, C., et al. (2022).
Disability and Rehabilitation, 44(20), 5811-5826.
This systematic review investigates the effects of behavioral aphasia treatments on language and/or communication and quality of life outcomes in adults with chronic stoke-induced aphasia.
National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia)
Through December 10, 2020
Peer-reviewed studies (not further specified)
44
<div>For post-stroke adults with chronic aphasia, six out of eight group studies investigating verbal and multi-modal intensive aphasia therapy types reported statistically significant improvements and maintenance effects for within-subject group comparisons. Additional findings include:</div>
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<ul>
<li> At the initial follow-up (mean=8.34 weeks), 70.42% of clients demonstrated maintenance of impairment based outcome gains.</li>
<li>At 20.62 weeks follow-up, 68.8% of clients showed maintenance of activity and participation gains.</li>
<li>At 24 weeks follow-up, 53.33% of clients reported a maintenance of quality of life improvements.</li>
<li>When the authors calculated minimal detectable change for individual patient data, only 22% of participants demonstrated significant, sustained gains after intensive aphasia therapy programs.</li>
<li>Clients were more likely to show later to demonstrate regression of gains at follow-up if they had showed lower initial gains from therapy, had moderate-severe aphasia, and/or demonstrated reduced executive function skills post-stroke.</li>
</ul>
<div>Additional research on intensive aphasia treatment outcomes and follow-up maintenance is needed.</div>
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