Group intervention for acquired writing disorders in aphasia

Background: One-to-one rehabilitation therapy is effective in supporting people with moderate and severe aphasia to improve their written spelling with the aim of using writing to augment limited spoken language abilities. To date, there has been little exploration of therapy for dysgraphia in a group format. Aims: The present study was designed to evaluate treatment outcomes for impairment-based group therapy for dysgraphia supplemented with home practice exercises. Methods & Procedures: Three individuals with very severe, severe and moderate aphasia engaged in eight group sessions of impairment-based spelling therapy incorporating game formats. Outcome measures included written naming of trained and untrained words and carer ratings for communicative effectiveness and functional use of writing. Outcomes and Results: All participants made gains in their written accuracy. Carer ratings also indicated an increased use of writing and/or communicative effectiveness following intervention. Conclusions: A group format, embedding written naming in a social context can be a successful means of delivering impairment-based therapy for dysgraphia.