Reducing Aphasic Perseverations: A Case Study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to measure outcomes resulting from a treatment designed to reduce aphasic perseverations by decreasing activation of the perseverative response and increasing activation of the target response. A single-subject design was used. A Spanish-speaking male with moderate-to-severe receptive-expressive aphasia participated in this study. Treatment involved the use of systematic reduction of interstimulus interval paired with semantic feature analysis. The treatment resulted in a decrease in perseveration, but only minor increases in naming accuracy on trained and untrained stimuli. In addition, an increase in overall verbal output was observed. Decreased perseveration was maintained during follow-up. Outcomes suggest the treatment successfully reduces perseveration and increases verbal output. Additional research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of this treatment.