The Aphasia Therapy File, Vol ll

"The Aphasia Therapy Files" represent a practical resource for people who work with individuals with aphasia, either as therapists or as researchers. An overview of issues associated with current practices is combined with a study of the practicalities of determining, designing and implementing therapies. This second volume continues to explore the possibility of bridging the gap between therapy in a clinical setting and the practical issues faced by the person living with aphasia. Each author presents one or more of their clinical practices in order to share their therapy experiences and reasoning with others.These contributions provide an insight into the complex issues that face both the practitioner and the person with aphasia, including discussion of subjects such as: revealing competence and rethinking identity for people with severe aphasia using drawing and a communication book; respecting the rights of a person with aphasia to their own life choices: a longitudinal therapy study; a group approach to the long-term rehabilitation of people with acquired head injury within the community; and lexical and functionally based treatment: effects on word retrieval and conversation. While each of the chapters is of considerable interest on its own, the final chapter offers readers a method of describing and capturing what happens in therapy and why, to enable comparisons between therapies and application by readers themselves. Written by speech and language therapists working in clinical practice, the studies included in this unique resource reflect the realities of everyday practice and will appeal to therapists, students and researchers in aphasia.