Treatment for apraxia of speech in nonfluent variant primary
progressive aphasia
Issue title: Primary Progressive Aphasia and Post-Stroke
Aphasia: Some Complementary Insights into Brain-Behavior
Relationships/Hemispatial Neglect and Related Disorders
Affiliations: Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology,
University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA | Alta Bates Medical Center, El Cerrito, CA, USA | San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA,
USA
Note: [] Corresponding author: Maya L. Henry, Memory and Aging Center,
Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Tel.: +1 415 476 2912; Fax: +1 415 476 4800; E-mail: mhenry@memory.ucsf.edu
Abstract: There is a growing body of literature examining the utility of
behavioral treatment in primary progressive aphasia (PPA). There are, however,
no studies exploring treatment approaches to improve speech production in
individuals with apraxia of speech (AOS) associated with the nonfluent variant
of PPA. The purpose of this study was to examine a novel approach to treatment
of AOS in nonfluent PPA. We implemented a treatment method using structured
oral reading as a tool for improving production of multisyllabic words in an
individual with mild AOS and nonfluent variant PPA. Our participant showed a
reduction in speech errors during reading of novel text that was maintained at
one year post-treatment. Generalization of improved speech production was
observed on repetition of words and sentences and the participant showed
stability of speech production over time in connected speech. Results suggest
that oral reading treatment is an efficient and effective means of addressing
multisyllabic word production in AOS associated with nonfluent PPA, with
lasting and generalized treatment effects.
