SKILL: Reading
DIFFICULTY: 3/5
LEVELS: 3, based on level of detail
BRIEF RATIONALE: This treatment works on understanding a variety of written materials found in everyday life.
In Reading Functional Materials, you will select categories of reading materials from the following choices: calendars, finance, medication, menus, navigation, nutrition, shopping, technology, and weather.
You will read the material and see three types of comprehension questions to answer, ordered from easiest to hardest:
- DIRECT: requires you to identify information straight from the text
- CONNECTING: requires you to combine information from different parts of the text
- INFERENCE: requires you to interpret information not directly stated in the text
You can choose to answer all questions or select specific question types to focus on. If you don't answer all questions, use the Skip button to move on to the next reading material when you're ready.
FOR THE CLINICIAN: This treatment uses a hierarchical approach (i.e. the written stimuli get longer and more detailed as the patient progresses) for aphasia treatment. It is presented in a multiple-choice format intended for individuals with mild-to-moderate impairment. For higher-level individuals, you can conceal the answer choices by expanding the image. To maximize comprehension, you can teach the patient to re-read sentence chunks. This strategy can be generalized to functional reading activities in various settings.
Selected References:
- Purdy, M., Coppens, P., Madden, E. B., Mozeiko, J., Patterson, J., Wallace, S. E., & Freed, D. (2018). Reading comprehension treatment in aphasia: A systematic review. Aphasiology, 33(6), 629–651.