Lucy Smith

• Developing Research-Led Comprehension Paragraphs for Reading Therapy for People with Aphasia
• Master of Speech and Language Sciences

Aphasia is a communication difficulty acquired post-stroke. Aphasia can lead to paragraph-level reading difficulties which can impact the person’s ability to participate in a range of meaningful activities. The project involved developing reading comprehension materials designed for speech and language therapists (SLTs) to assist individuals with aphasia who struggle with paragraph-level reading. In addition to texts, corresponding summaries and multiple-choice questions were developed to improve efficiency in clinical practice. The texts, developed from online news articles, are naturalistic, relevant to common interests, and their complexity is informed by research literature and views of SLTs working at the Tavistock Aphasia Centre. Each text ranges from 100 to 200 words, with a readability level suitable for ages 10 to 14. Two experimental studies with typical readers ensured the robustness of the materials - readers identified the main ideas and ensured people have to read the paragraphs to answer the questions.

Funded by: Barbara Stringer Research Scholarship

Project Supervisor: Dr Janet Webster