Using Informal Conversation in the Clinical Setting as a Measure of Communication Potential for Adults with Aphasia

The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical usefulness of informal conversation as a tool for determining ability to communicate potential regardless of modality (verbal or nonverbal). Four individuals with aphasia (two non-fluent and two fluent) and four non-impaired individuals participated in this study. Selected segments of conversational discourse were analyzed for communication act usage during a 20-30 minute dyadic interaction with the investigator. Results revealed no significant differences between the total number of communication acts used by the participants. However, the participants with aphasia used a higher number of nonverbal and a combination of both verbal and nonverbal acts when compared to the non-impaired participants. Implications for clinical application are discussed.