A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of - Queen Margaret University

2.7 CURRENT THEORETICAL ACCOUNTS OF LANGUAGE REHABILITATION
Byng and Black (1995) advise that the current working practice of speech and
language therapists involves the assessment of an individual’s particular
manifestation of aphasia. The data are then interpreted in terms of models of
normal language processing, thus enabling hypotheses to be made about the
specific nature of the person’s aphasia. Speech and language therapists have
the use of information processing models such as those based on the cognitive
neuropsychology approach, which has established the normal stages and
pathways involved in single word comprehension and expression (Ellis and
Young, 1996). The cognitive neuropsychological model of single word
processing is a static model on which a person’s language abilities may be
mapped and impairments may be highlighted at any one moment in time. It
developed from studying dissociations between single case studies of people
with impairments in different areas of language functioning (Ellis and Young,
1996). Language assessments have since been developed which aim to target
the various modules and pathways of this model such as the Psycholinguistic
Assessments of Language Processing in Aphasia (PALPA) (Kay, Lesser and
Coltheart, 1992) (see Appendix 2.1 for examples). This enables the therapist to
establish which spoken and written language functions are impaired, thereby
guiding them to the area of aphasia that requires rehabilitation. This tool also
enables therapists to record change following therapy where abilities/
impairments again may be mapped on this model for comparison to pre-therapy
baselines.
The rehabilitative process continues with the development of language therapy
programmes in order to provide structured experience-dependent learning that
facilitate language recovery. However although the language impairment can be
identified, Howard and Hatfield (1987) assert that this information does not
determine which precise therapy programme is the most appropriate to target a
particular area. As the information processing models prove useful in identifying
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