Describing Actions
SKILL: Talking
DIFFICULTY: 3
LEVELS: 3 based on the expected length of utterance
BRIEF RATIONALE: This treatment works on forming sentences.
In Describing Actions, you will see a video clip. Press the record button and describe what is happening. Press the button again to end the recording. Submit your answer to receive specific feedback using speech recognition technology. Depending on the level, you are expected to say:
A) an action (verb)
B) who + action (subject and verb)
C) who + action + what (subject, verb, and object)
To be marked as correct, you must say all parts of the sentence that is expected. You can receive a partially correct score by saying 1 out of 2 parts on Level 2, or 1 or 2 out of 3 parts on Level 3.
HINT: A hint button is available in the lower-left corner of the screen to provide an initial sound cue for level 1 and a sentence starter cue for Levels 2 and 3. Using the Hint will mark the item as incorrect (as the sentence was not produced independently), but it may help you say a content word.
SELF-SCORING OPTION: If speech recognition is not right for you or your patient (e. g. due to accent, background noise, or lack of a microphone), you may choose the self-scoring version of this treatment. Say the action or sentence aloud and press Check. You will see a written example of the expected response at the top of the screen. Mark off the parts you said (who, action, what). Your response does not need to match the example, as long as your content words are accurate based on the video. Select none if you did not say any parts of the sentence.
FOR THE CLINICIAN:
Picture description is often used to elicit language because it targets word retrieval in connected speech (as opposed to confrontation naming which only targets single words). Picture description also minimizes memory and attention demands for individuals with aphasia. Describing Actions uses video clips rather than pictures so the action can be easily interpreted. Response accuracy is based on content units rather than syntax, meaning the target words must be intelligible, accurate, and relevant to the video stimulus to be marked as correct.
Producing content units with a simple sentence structure is an effective strategy for agrammatic speakers, and this treatment allows repeated practice at various levels. The orthographic cue or hint also encourages multi-modal strategy use, which has been found to be a consistent predictor of outcomes.
Selected References:
Gordon, J. K. (2008). Measuring the lexical semantics of picture description in aphasia. Aphasiology, 22(7–8), 839–852. https://doi.org/10.1080/02687030701820063
Holland, A. L. (2020). The value of “Communication strategies” in the treatment of Aphasia. Aphasiology, 35(7), 984–994. https://doi.org/10.1080/02687038.2020.1752908
SZE, W. P., HAMEAU, S., WARREN, J., & BEST, W. (2020). Identifying the components of a successful spoken naming therapy: A meta-analysis of word-finding interventions for adults with aphasia. Aphasiology, 35(1), 33–72. https://doi.org/10.1080/02687038.2020.1781419