Aphasia is a language disorder, often caused by stroke, that alters one’s ability to express themself, while retaining intelligence. TBIconneCT is a 10-week, manualized teletherapy treatment program for individuals with TBI and their communication partners. This past fall, an individual with aphasia piloted the North American TBIconneCT program with a volunteer student partner. The intention was to see if there was value in such a program for a person with aphasia, vs. TBI. Our research addresses the feasibility and potential value of a TBI social communication program for someone who has a diagnosis of aphasia. No modifications were made to alter the program for the individual with aphasia. However, the participant has a mild-to-moderate aphasia, so he was able to engage in social communication exercises. We are using a mixed, deductive research approach that includes both quantitative and qualitative data analysis. For data collection, I analyzed both pre- and post- surveys from the program as well as personal interviews conducted with the individual. Preliminary data shows that the program was helpful and could be applied to the aphasia population. This conclusion can support the creation of social communication programs for the aphasia population.
