VR and Script Training of PWA

Utilization of Immersive Virtual Reality in Computerized Script Training for People with Aphasia: a Feasibility Study

The goal of this intervention study is to investigate the effects of immersive virtual reality in rehabilitation of language and communication of individuals with post-stroke aphasia. The main research questions are:

1. Is VR-based script training a feasible treatment to Cantonese-speaking PWA?
2. Will VR-based script training, when compared to conventional script training, better enhance treatment outcomes in functional communication of PWA?

Participants will be assessed before, in the middle of, immediately after treatment and 8-week post treatment in terms of their performance on:

1. Accuracy and time for producing trained scripts.
2. Accuracy and time for producing un-trained scripts
3. Standardized aphasia test on severity of language impairment
4. Standardized aphasia test on functional communication

The participants will be randomly allocated to receive one of the treatment:

1. Virtual reality-based computerized script training; or
2. Computerized script training without virtual reality Researchers will compare the treatment outcomes of the two treatment conditions and see if treatment with virtual reality would better promote outcomes when compared to training without virtual reality.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. a stroke onset more than six months, with an Aphasia Quotient (AQ) below 96.4, as evaluated by the Cantonese version of Western Aphasia Battery (CAB; Yiu, 1992),
2. premorbid fluent Cantonese speakers,
3. aged between 30 and 80 years,
4. no reported progressive neurogenic disorders such as dementia or Parkinson's disease,
5. no motor speech disorders of moderate to severe level, and
6. normal or corrected-to-normal vision and hearing functions

Exclusion Criteria:

1. concurrent participation in other aphasia treatment trials, and
2. incompatibility with immersive VR exposure such as complains of nausea, headache, or other severe discomforts during trial use of a head-mounted device during screening.