Understanding Spoken Directions

SKILL: Listening

DIFFICULTY: 2/5

LEVELS: 8, based on the number of choices and the relatedness of the auditory stimulus and foils

BRIEF RATIONALE: This treatment works on auditory comprehension of simple instructions or requests.

In Understanding Spoken Directions, you will hear a simple instruction and select the corresponding picture from a field of choices. You can replay the audio at any time using the audio button. The treatment will auto-adjust in difficulty based on performance.

HINT: A hint button is available in the lower-left corner of the screen to reveal the written direction. Using the hint will mark the item as incorrect (since it was not answered using only the audio stimulus), but it may help you associate the direction with the image.

FOR THE CLINICIAN:

Understanding Spoken Directions is a direct auditory comprehension treatment, as the stimuli is provided via auditory input only, and the required response is non-verbal. During this treatment, you can ask the patient a clarifying question about the target picture. For example, you might ask, "What is he carrying?" after they hear the phrase "Carry the bag." If appropriate, you can also ask WH-questions about the foil pictures for additional naming practice.

Selected References:

1. Wallace, S. E., Patterson, J., Purdy, M., Knollman-Porter, K., & Coppens, P. (2022). Auditory comprehension interventions for people with aphasia: A scoping review. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 31(5S), 2404-2420.