Effect Of Different Intensity Of Early Speech And Language Therapy On The Recovery Of Acute Post-stroke Aphasia

Objective: To investigate the effect of different intensity of early speech and language therapy on acute post-stroke aphasia and evaluate the relationship between gender, age, type of stoke, course of disease, the initial severity of aphasia and the degree of recovery of post-stroke aphasia.Method: Forty five post-stroke aphasics were divided into three groups. Twenty five of them agree with speech and language therapy were assigned randomly to two groups to receive either high or moderate intensity of speech and language therapy. Patients in both groups received the same amount of treatment (20 hours) during the different period, 4 weeks for the high intensity speech and language therapy group (1 hour per day, 13 patients) and 8 weeks for the moderate intensity speech and language therapy group (30 minutes per day, 12 patients). The others who did not accept the speech and language therapy were chosen as control group (20 patients). Using the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) to evaluate the language function at the following time: before intervention, 4 weeks and 8 weeks after intervention. Compare the Aphasia Quotient (AQ) of WAB within and between groups. Data were analyzed by SPSS 11.5 version with t test, one-way ANOVA and Pearson Correlation.Result: Compared the change of AQ after 8 weeks between aphasics of different gender and type of stroke, there were no significant differences (p>0.05). Age has no correlation with the degree of recovery, but course of disease and the initial severity of aphasia have correlation with the degree of recovery of post-stroke aphasia. Significant difference was found within groups by means of outcome measure of AQ, when compared 4 weeks or 8 weeks after intervention with before intervention (p<0.01). Compared with control group, the change of AQ of high or moderate intensity aphasia group was obviously higher either 4 weeks or 8 weeks of training, the differences between groups were statistically significant(p<0.01). Compared 4 weeks aphasia therapy for the high intensity group with 8 weeks for the moderate intensity group, the change of AQ were statistically significant(p<0.05). Compared the change of AQ between 8 weeks for the high and the moderate intensity group, there was no significant difference (p>0.05).Conclusion: The degree of recovery of post-stroke aphasia was not influenced by age, gender, type of stroke but by the course of disease and the initial severity of aphasia. Speech and language therapy either the high intensity or the moderate intensity significantly improved the language function of post-stroke aphasics in the acute aphasia recovery period, early Speech and language therapy play an important role for the recovery of post-stroke aphasia. High intensity speech and language therapy over a short period of time can provide better outcomes than the moderate speech and language therapy over a longer period of time for stroke patients with aphasia. But the beneficial effect of the high intensity speech and language therapy was not maintained over a short period of time.