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| 2. |
- Behrns, Ingrid, 1961, et al.
(författare)
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A comparison between written and spoken narratives in aphasia
- 2009
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Ingår i: Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics. - London : Taylor & Francis. - 0269-9206 .- 1464-5076. ; 23:7, s. 507-528
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of the present study was to explore how a personal narrative told by a group of eight persons with aphasia differed between written and spoken language, and to compare this with findings from 10 participants in a reference group. The stories were analysed through holistic assessments made by 60 participants without experience of aphasia and through measurement of lexical and syntactic variables. The findings showed that the participants with aphasia generally received lower ratings than the reference group, but also that stories written by participants with aphasia were rated as easier to understand, more interesting, and more coherent than the group’s spoken stories. Regression analysis showed that syntax could predict several of the rated variables for the stories told by the participants with aphasia. Results point to the need to include writing training in language rehabilitation in order to increase the ability for persons with aphasia to participate in communicative situations in everyday life.
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| 3. |
- Behrns, Ingrid, 1961, et al.
(författare)
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A comparison of Written and Spoken Narratives in Aphasia.
- 2011
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Ingår i: the 12th International Conference of the EARLI Special Interest Group on Writing, 8th to 10th of September 2010, Heidelberg, Germany.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Early research in aphasiology seemed to view writing as written speech, implying that the symptoms would be the same in written and spoken output. However, different patterns for how difficulties are manifested in written versus spoken language have since been observed. The impressions from untrained readers add an important perspective to clinicians in how patients are able to participate in everyday life outside the clinical setting. Aim: The aim of the present study was to explore how a personal narrative told by a group of persons with aphasia differed between written and spoken language, and to compare this with findings from narratives told by participants in a reference group. Method: Eight participants with aphasia and ten participants with no neurological disorder were asked to take part in the project. The participants produced a free narration entitled ‘I have never been so afraid’, first in a written version and then also in a spoken version. The stories were analysed through holistic assessments made by 60 participants without earlier experience of aphasia and through measurement of lexical and syntactic variables. Results: The untrained readers and listeners rated the stories told by the referencegroup higher than the stories told by the participants with aphasia. The written stories made by the persons with aphasia were however rated as easier to understand, more interesting and more coherent than their spoken versions. Regression analysis revealed that the length of the stories (number of words) and word-level errors were to some extent predicting factors of the ratings, but interestingly enough not necessarily in the sense that longer and more correctly spelled stories were always rated higher. Discussion: The results showed that the impression of a written text is probably due to a very complicated network of variables. For persons suffering from aphasia it is important that they are offered language rehabilitation that includes written language. However, results also indicates that the goals for writing training have to be set individually and that more factors except spelling has to be considered when planning therapy.
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| 4. |
- Behrns, Ingrid, 1961
(författare)
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Apahsia and the Process of Writing
- 2003
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Sammanfattning Syftet med denna uppsats är att öka kunskapen om afatikers skrivförmåga till att omfatta produktion av sammanhängande text och då med avseende på den slutliga texten såväl som på skrivprocessen. Försökspersonerna utgjordes av en grupp av åtta vuxna personer med kronisk afasi. De ombads skriva två texter var; en fri berättelse och en berättelse med bilder som stöd. Vidare intervjuades försökspersonerna om sina skrivvanor och hur dessa påverkats av afasin. Datorbaserad analys med mjukvaran Scriptlog möjliggjorde analys av editeringar och pauser under försökspersonernas arbete med texterna. Resultat från analys av den slutliga texten visade att försökspersonerna skrev korta texter, uppbyggda av meningar med en oftast korrekt men enkel syntax. Vidare framkom brister i textstruktur och koherens vilket inte berodde på att försökspersonerna tillhandahöll inadekvat information utan ej tillräcklig information. Resultat från analys av skrivprocessen visade att gruppen afatiker och referensgruppen inte skilde sig med avseende på hur stor proportion av texten som raderades. Däremot arbetade gruppen afatiker så gott som uteslutande på ord - och morfem nivå, där referensgruppen arbetade med större enheter i taget. Resultat av analys av editeringar och fel i slutlig text visade att ordens egenskaper i form av ordklasstillhörighet, frekvens och längd i hög grad påverkade om de utgjorde ett problem eller inte. Resultat från intervjun visade att en nedsatt skrivförmåga för individen är en stor förlust och att även ”enbart lätta skrivsvårigheter” kan utgöra stora svårigheter i vardagen. Resultaten diskuteras relateras till aktuell modell från kognitiv psykologi samt till klinisk verksamhet.
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| 5. |
- Behrns, Ingrid, 1961, et al.
(författare)
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Aphasia and Computerised Writing Aid
- 2006
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Ingår i: SIG writing, the 11th international conference of the EARLI Special Interest Group on Writing, Lund, 2008.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Individuals with aphasia often experience difficulties writing, but the type and severity of impairment varies. Word-processors with spelling and grammar control can compensate for some of the writing difficulties associated with aphasia. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether writing difficulties in aphasia may be reduced by computerised writing aid supported training. The writing aids used in this study were designed especially for persons with reading- and writing difficulties (but so far not used for individuals with spelling difficulties following aphasia) They are based on statistics of frequent misspellings and fonotactic rules. The chosen programs were a word prediction program, Saida® and a program for spelling support, Stava Rätt 3®. The participants used Microsoft Word, 2003 and the selected writing aid. All writing sessions during treatment and evaluation were recorded by means of Scriptplog, a software for key stroke logging (Strömquist & Karlsson 2002). The study has a single subject ABA design replicated across three participants. The baseline (A) was established by measuring the dependent variables on four occasions prior to the introduction of the therapy. During the intervention phase (B) the dependent variables were measured on nine occasions. A follow-up (A) was made 10 months after the intervention phase was finished and included measurement of all dependent variables. The dependent variables were total number of words in the final text; proportion of correctly written words (a word may have been correctly spelled but still analysed as incorrect if it was the wrong word according to the context); words per minute, analysed as words total in final text per minute (of total time); proportion of edits that were successful, resulting in a correct written word. Results showed that the training affected the participants’ writing processes in positive ways. However it took time and effort to learn how to use the writing aids. The largest effect size was found for revisions, in how successful the participants were in making edits that resulted in correctly written words in the final texts. Moreover, the participants produced more words in total and produced proportionally more correctly written words. Production rate was less affected or even negatively affected. Interestingly, the participants also tended to improve their sentence structure and word order during intervention, despite the case that this had not been specifically trained.
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| 6. |
- Behrns, Ingrid, 1961, et al.
(författare)
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Aphasia and Computerised Writing Aid Supported Treatment
- 2009
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Ingår i: Aphasiology. - London : Psychology Press. - 0268-7038 .- 1464-5041. ; 23:10, s. 1276-1294
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background:Individuals with aphasia often experience difficulties in writing. Word processors with a spell checker and a grammar checker can compensate for some of the writing difficulties associated with aphasia.Aims:To determine if writing difficulties associated with aphasia may be reduced by the use of a computerised writing aid when training patients.Methods & Procedures:The writing aids used in this study were originally designed specifically for persons with developmental reading and writing difficulties and are based on statistics of frequent misspellings and phonotactic rules. Three participants with aphasia selected one of two offered writing aids. Written production during treatment and evaluation was recorded and analysed by keystroke logging. The study had a single-subject ABA design replicated across three participants. The baseline (A) was established by measuring four dependent variables. During a 9-week intervention phase (B) the dependent variables were measured once a week. A follow-up (A) was done 10 months after the training was finished. The dependent variables were: total number of words in a writing task; proportion of correctly written words; words per minute; proportion of successful edits. The results were analysed both visually and by statistical calculations. Outcomes & Results:All participants experienced a positive improvement in their writing ability. Results showed individual differences; after completed training the first participant made more successful edits, the second wrote more words, had a larger proportion of correctly written words, and made more successful edits. The third participant's results did not show any improvement that could be statistically supported.Conclusions:This study showed that the computerised training facilitated the generating process and made the revision process more efficient for the participants. The results are important in that they indicate possible ways of designing writing treatment. However, they also show the need for careful analyses when evaluating different treatment strategies and in discussing what improved writing ability may be.
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| 7. |
- Behrns, Ingrid, 1961, et al.
(författare)
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Aphasia and Computerised Writing Aid Supported Treatment.
- 2009
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Ingår i: EARLI/SIG Writing Conference in Amsterdam, 25-29 August, 2009.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim. Individuals with aphasia often experience difficulties with written language. Word processors with a spell checker and a grammar checker can compensate for some of the writing difficulties associated with aphasia. The aim of the present study was to determine if writing difficulties associated with aphasia may be reduced by the use of a computerised writing aid. Methodology. The writing aid used in this study was a spell checker originally designed specifically for persons with developmental reading and writing difficulties and were based on statistics of frequent misspellings and phonotactic rules. Further, the spell checker presents the suggested word in a sentence to explain the meaning of the word for the user. One 56 year old woman with aphasia and severe writing difficulties following stroke four years earlier, took part in the study. The writing training was initially individually with a speech-language-pathologist (SLT), but after four sessions she took part in a writing group with four other persons with aphasia. The training was twice every week for nine weeks, where the participants learned how to use the writing aid. Written production at the start of the intervention, during treatment and at follow up was recorded and analysed by key stroke logging. Recordings were made when she wrote and used the spell checker but also when she did not use the aid.The study had a single subject AB design with a follow up. The baseline (A) was established by measuring four dependent variables. During a nine-week intervention phase (B) the dependent variables were measured once a week. A follow-up (A) was done 10 months after the training was finished. The dependent variables were: total number of words in a writing task; proportion of correctly written words; words per minute; proportion of successful edits. The results were analysed both visually and by statistical calculations.The intervention was also evaluated by questioning the participant and her husband about her writing ability and writing habits. Findings. The woman experienced a positive improvement in her writing ability and found the training very motivational. Results showed that after completed intervention, she wrote more words, had a larger proportion of correctly written words and made more successful edits. Results showed further that her writing ability had improved, also when the aid was not used. There was also an improved sentence structure, even if this had not been specifically trained. Before the intervention the participant had no functional writing, but after the training she had started to do cross word puzzles on her own and she also wrote memos for shopping lists. Theoretical and educational significance of the research. This study showed that the computerised training facilitated the generating process and made the revision process more efficient for the participant. The improvements were found in the written production when she used the aid, but also without the aid, which means that systematic writing training resulted in a general improvement of writing skills even though writing was still very time consuming and hard work. She had also started to use her improved writing ability outside the clinical setting in everyday life. The results are important in that they indicate possible ways of designing writing treatment by the use of a word processor and computerised writing aids. However, the results also show the need for careful analyses when evaluating different treatment strategies and in discussing what improved writing ability may be.
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| 8. |
- Behrns, Ingrid, 1961, et al.
(författare)
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Aphasia and text writing
- 2010
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Ingår i: International journal of language and communication disorders. - New York, NY : John Wiley & Sons. - 1368-2822 .- 1460-6984. ; 45:2, s. 230-243
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background:Good writing skills are needed in almost every aspect of life today, and there is a growing interest in research into acquired writing difficulties. Most of the findings reported so far, however, are based on words produced in isolation. The present study deals with the production of entire texts.Aims:The aim was to characterize written narratives produced by a group of participants with aphasia.Methods & Procedures:Eight persons aged 28–63 years with aphasia took part in the study. They were compared with a reference group consisting of ten participants aged 21–30 years. All participants were asked to write a personal narrative titled ‘I have never been so afraid’ and to perform a picture-based story-generation task called the ‘Frog Story’. The texts were written on a computer.Outcome & Results: The group could be divided into participants with low, moderate, and high general performance, respectively. The texts written by the participants in the group with moderate and high writing performance had comparatively good narrative structure despite indications of difficulties on other linguistic levels.Conclusions & Implications:Aphasia appeared to influence text writing on different linguistic levels. The impact on overall structure and coherence was in line with earlier findings from the analysis of spoken and written discourse and the implication of this is that the written modality should also be included in language rehabilitation.
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| 9. |
- Behrns, Ingrid, 1961
(författare)
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Aphasia and the Challenge of Writing
- 2009
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background Writing difficulties are usually one of the integral symptoms of persons with aphasia. Earlier research based on studies of the spelling of single words has yielded interesting results. This work includes analyses of texts and text production. Aim The general aim of the thesis, which includes four studies, was to describe the characteristics of the writing process in aphasia. Materials and methods The participants in the first three studies were a group of six men and two women with aphasia (the A-group) in the age range of 28 to 63 years (mean age 42.5 years) and a reference group (the R-group) consisting of five women and five men in the age range of 21 to 30 years (mean age 23.5 years). One of these studies also included 60 untrained raters. The participants in the fourth study were three individuals with aphasia, two men and one woman (aged 53, 56 and 59, respectively). The participants wrote two narratives and told one of them orally. Not only the final texts but also the revision phases were analysed. The analysis related to variables reflecting vocabulary, syntax and narrative structure. The narratives were also subjected to holistic assessment by the untrained raters. The intervention study had a single-subject ABA design replicated across the three participants. All writing tasks were carried out on a computer and key-stroke logging was used for the collection and analysis of the data. Results The A-group wrote stories with a lower production rate and more word-level errors than the R-group, and also had more difficulty revising their texts. Narrative structure was not as good in the A-group’s texts, but the most essential parts of the narrative were included; their written versions were in fact rated as more coherent and easier to understand than their spoken versions. Story length and the proportion of word-level errors to some extent predicted ratings, but not necessarily in the sense that fewer errors and longer stories predicted a higher rating. The intervention study showed that training with computerised writing aids improved writing in different ways. Discussion The narratives produced by the participants with aphasia were characterised by linearity as a result of their use of short T-units with few subordinate clauses and simple syntax. The study of the revision phase revealed the same pattern: every word and sometimes every character was checked before the participants continued writing. Writing a narrative was a time-consuming task for the participants with aphasia, but the stories they eventually produced were explicit enough to meet the demands of the written medium. Regular training was effective and compensated for some of the difficulties. Clinical implications Written language should be included in aphasia assessment and in planning for rehabilitation since it opens up a wider range of possibilities to communicate.
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| 10. |
- Behrns, Ingrid, 1961
(författare)
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APHASIA AND THE CHALLENGE OF WRITING
- 2006
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Ingår i: ”11:th Meeting of the International Clinical Phonetics and Linguistics Association” i Dubrovnik 060531-060603.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In today’s Western society, writing is an important skill in fulfilling many aspects of everyday life. Suffering from impaired writing ability means a great loss for the individual and changes life dramatically. Research on single-word production has long been well established in the field of acquired writing difficulties, for diagnostic purposes as well as for rehabilitation. The description in the present study is an attempt to focus also on text processing. The final text, as it looks when the writer has decided to finish it, is analyzed. But in addition to analyzing the end product of the writing activity, the composing of the text is also studied through recorded data revealing what words have been changed or how sentences have been rearranged. This an experimental study in which eight aphasic subjects were asked to write two texts, one, a free narration and the other a story eliciting task based on pictures. The results have been compared with those of a reference group. The analysis showed that the aphasic subjects wrote shorter texts with a lower writing speed. In composing the texts the aphasic subjects deleted the same proportion of keystrokes, as the reference group did, but performed their edits on another linguistic level than the reference group did. By interviews the majority of the aphasic subjects describe their impaired writing ability as a great loss From the above findings a single-case study with the purpose of exploring compensatory strategies and training possibilities through computational writing support is presented.
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