Conversation Groups for People with Aphasia: Rationale & Evidence

This is part one of a two-part series on Conversation Groups for Individuals with Aphasia. Although this course focuses on aphasia groups, the course content is applicable to other populations and groups. Communication is considered to be one of the core areas of deficit for those living with aphasia. We know that enhancing life participation and quality of life are consistent with the World Health Organization framework and ASHA’s Scope of Practice for speech-language pathologists. But how can we assist people with aphasia (PWA) to become better communicators and achieve a better quality of life? Part one of this course describes the rationale and scientific evidence for utilizing conversation groups to improve both communication ability and psychosocial functioning for PWA. Videotaped examples from an aphasia conversation group illustrate a variety of group process dynamics and strategies that facilitators can use.