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Intensive Language-Action Therapy in virtual reality for the Rehabilitation Gaming System

Dr. Klaudia Grechuta

Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona

A third of stroke patients suffer from language disorders. These disorders severely impair individuals’ communication ability which impacts their quality of life. Recently, Intensive Language Action Therapy (ILAT) has emerged as a novel paradigm for aphasia rehabilitation. ILAT is grounded in three main principles: intense practice, overcoming learned non-use, and individualized training. In the present study, we designed and developed a virtual reality (VR) based language rehabilitation tool by integrating ILAT’s object request Language Action Game (LAG) in the  Rehabilitation Gaming System (RGS), a novel paradigm for the rehabilitation of motor deficits due to  lesions in  the central nervous system. RGS is an environment that provides multimodal, task specific training in virtual reality scenarios. Its special design consists (instead of consists of, maybe better to say includes?) of a motion detection system that monitors users’ movements, which allows for an active interaction, as well as continuous evaluation of their performance. We address the question of whether aphasia rehabilitation designed within the VR environment of RGS can be effective. The primary purpose of the initial pilot study was to validate the system and to learn whether a virtual adaptation of the ILAT into RGS can trigger positive changes in the linguistic behavior of Broca’s aphasia patients. We report the results of a double-case pilot study where one acute and one chronic aphasic patient followed five RGS-ILAT therapy sessions. Before and after the treatment, we evaluated their language skills using the Communication Activity Log (CAL) and Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) scales. Results show that the patients learned how to interact within the VR system. The CAL performance suggests that both patients and their therapist perceived improvements in communication skills after the intervention. Additionally, both approval and acceptance of the system were high.

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