A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of - Queen Margaret University

with the literature regarding the learning of new vocabulary in particular being
sparse. Before the question regarding the capability or potential of the damaged
brain to learn new vocabulary is addressed, the overall potential of the brain to
re-access already held vocabulary during the rehabilitation of aphasia will be
explored.
2.4 REHABILITATION OF APHASIA
The problems associated with aphasia and the consequential impact that
aphasia has on people’s lives have been discussed above. The language
functioning of some people with aphasia does resolve spontaneously following a
stroke as part of the recovery process (see section 2.2.1), while other people
require rehabilitation from speech and language therapists. The impact and the
consequential implications of having aphasia for the individuals themselves,
their families and society as a whole (see section 2.3) highlight the importance
of the rehabilitation of language difficulties caused by aphasia. The speech and
language therapist works closely in partnership with the person with aphasia and
their families/ carers endeavouring to bring them to their highest communicative
potential. So what does this rehabilitation involve and is there evidence for its
efficacy?
2.4.1 The efficacy of aphasia rehabilitation
As early as seventy years ago Weisenburg and McBride (1935), (as quoted in
Butfield and Zangwill, 1946), indicated that evidence from their research
suggested that language therapy or ‘re-education’ increased the rate of
improvement over and above that which occurred from spontaneous recovery
alone. Butfield and Zangwill (1946) instigated one of the first studies which
highlighted the question of the efficacy of language rehabilitation, stating that at
that time there were no means of measuring whether the effects of language
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