Communication Bridge Speech Therapy Research Study

Communication Bridge Speech Therapy Research Study: Using Internet-Based Speech Therapy to Improve Quality of Life and Access to Care

This is a study on Internet-based video-practice speech and language therapy for persons with primary progressive aphasia (PPA), behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), or related conditions.

The purpose of this study is:

1. To evaluate the effectiveness of speech and language therapy on a person's ability to communicate immediately after treatment, 6-months after treatment, and 12-months after treatment.
2. To identify the most effective speech and language therapy strategies for persons with these conditions.
3. To determine the feasibility of Internet-based video-practice of speech and language therapy for persons with these conditions.

The study will involve 12 to 15 session over the course of 12 months. Some of these sessions will be in-person at the Northwestern Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center (Chicago, IL), while others will take place over the Internet, using an online study portal.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosis of dementia with language as a primary symptom (i.e. aphasia)
• An informant who knows the participant well and can answer questions the participant's communication ability
• Adequate hearing to follow conversation (correction permitted)
• Adequate vision (correction permitted)