This is Brian again. My individual therapy at Buffalo State College isn’t easy, but it is suited to my needs. Every hour goes something like this:
Rapid fire conversations: The student clinician has 3-4 other students come into the room (one at a time) and speak to me about various topics. I am not aware of what the topics will be. Eye contact, degree of expression, & speech fluency is evaluated by the clinician.
Movie/TV show plot explanation. In this part, the clinician evaluates my ability to explain complex concepts without a script. It’s really hard for me to do it fluently.
Distracted speech. My ability to speak while being distracted is evaluated by the clinician. We play a simple game (like checkers or scrabble) while I try to maintain the flow of conversation.
Fun fact: I don’t remember when I first heard the term aphasia. My wife doesn’t remember either.
Resources:
Three stroke survivors from Nebraska who started their own blog
The National Aphasia Association
Buffalo State Stroke and Hope Aphasia Support Group 