The role of cognitive ability in treatment outcomes of conversational coaching : a case series approach

Abstract

Previous studies have examined the relationship between cognitive ability and aphasia therapy gains in people with aphasia (PWA). While most of the existing studies targeted anomia therapy, a recent preliminary study (Chow, 2019) suggested the importance of pretreatment executive functions in conversational coaching treatment in two PWA. The present study filled the research gap by investigating the relationship between a broader range of cognitive functions, including executive functions, verbal short-term and working memory, and attention, and conversational coaching treatment outcomes among 13 Cantonese speaking PWA. Twelve sessions of conversational coaching were administered. PWA and their communication partners were trained to use communicative strategies to communicate stories. For the PWA, cognitive measures were conducted prior to the treatment. Main concept analysis was used to evaluate treatment effects. Pearson correlation indicated that verbal short-term memory, working memory, and attention were significantly correlated with treatment effect sizes. No significant correlation was found between executive functions and treatment effect sizes. While the role of executive functions in conversational coaching requires further investigation in future research, the current study suggested the importance of considering PWA’s memory and attention skills during the clinical administration of conversational coaching.