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LOGOS APHASIA:

A computerized tool designed to be used


by the speech and language pathologist
for the assessment of Aphasia in Greek

Eugenia I. Toki and Konstantinos D. Plachouras


Speech and Language Therapy Department, TEI of Epirus, Ioannina, ELLAS
Email: toki@ioa.teiep.gr, kplachouras@ioa.teiep.gr,

Definition of the problem:

The process of aphasia assessment is a detailed and


complex aspect for the clinician. New technologies can
possibly present the option to evaluate a situation faster
and more accurately.

Research Questions:

What are the effects of computerized assessment


procedures designed for the evaluation of Greek aphasic
adults?
Does the computer software LOGOS APHASIA that
was developed specifically for this use in Greek, do the job
it was designed to do?
In particular is the software working efficiently for:
test administration
scoring
interpreting communication

Tel: ++302651050720, ++302651050707

Methodology:

Participants: Normal population (<40 years old),


N=110 (final year students of the department of Speech
and Language Therapy, TEI of Epirus, Ioannina, ELLAS)
1. They were tested using the software on their
linguistic abilities
2. Asked to fill in a questionnaire, consisted of three
sections, as follows:
Personal details and medical history
their opinion of the process as end users
their opinion of the process as to their clinical
identity

Results

LOGOS APHASIA

Diagnostic
System

Patients
Medical
Record

Diagnosis

Systemic Approach of Evaluation Procedures

Students Performance

Speech production: Presently no objective methods


for automatically scoring therefore the clinician in his
own way can evaluate the certain section in a
subjective manner.
Purpose of the study was to use only objective
evaluation methods.
The results indicate that such a system has the
potential to become a valuable clinical tool for the
clinician in evaluating aspects of adult language.

Is it easy to use:
clinician perspective?
patient perspective?
Can it be considered that it is accepted as a clinical
diagnostical tool?

Future work

Software Description:

The aim is to create a computerized clinical tool for the


Greek language, that the clinician can use as an objective
methodology for the evaluation of aphasia.
The LOGOS APHASIA test evaluates five sections:
1. - Listening (Comprehension)
2. - Vocabulary
3. - Reading
4. - Writing
5. - Cognitive Ability
According to the patient needs, the clinicial can apply
any of the above section evaluation or the evaluation of the
whole five sections.
At the end of each running of an evaluation test the
software automatically evaluates the answers and
produces results to external text files. The formations of
the results are of two types:
score in each evaluation section
Detailed report on the results that the patient can
not function.
Test administration differs every time it runs making it
possible to retest the same patient on equivalent material.

Summary of the work

Software Evaluation:
on all age groups of normal population
on aphasic patients
on other neurogenic communication problems

Test duration

Average duration: 3,9 minutes

Ease of use as an end user


Difficulty

Valid

0
1
Total

Frequency
108
2
110

Percent
98,2
1,8
100,0

Valid Percent
98,2
1,8
100,0

Cumulative
Percent
98,2
100,0

Opinion in the sense of clinical process

test administration: 100% satisfaction


Scoring: 86% satisfaction
Interpretation: 98% satisfaction
Realization of other procedures needed: 60%

Adapting it as a tool in evaluation: 100%

Scheduled for LOGOS APHASIA upgrades:


Speech production instructions & Recording for
further process & evaluation (not in real time).
Hand writing Recording
Patients Database Handling

Acknowledgements

Supported by EPEAEK II: Reformation Program of


Undergraduate Studies, Speech and Language Therapy
Department, TEI of Epirus, ELLAS. (

, )

2.2.:
: (2001-2004)
:

References
Bates E., Wulfeck B.and MacWhinney B., 1991. Cross-linguistic research in aphasia: an overview. Brain and Language, 41(2):123-48.
Chapey, R., 2001. Language Intervention Strategies in Aphasia and Related Neurogenic Communication Disorders, (4th. ed.). Baltimore, MD: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins
Garcia, L. J.; Rebolledo, M.; Metth, Lynn and Lefebvre, R., 2007. The Potential of Virtual Reality to Assess Functional Communication in Aphasia, Topics in Language Disorders. Virtual Reality: Exploring New Dimensions for Conversation, Language, and Learning. 27(3):272-288, July/September
2007.
Goodglass, H., Kaplan, E., & Barresi, B., 2001. The assessment of aphasia and related disorders (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.
Kambanaros, M., 2008. The trouble with nouns and verbs in Greek fluent aphasia, Journal of Communication Disorders, 41(2008): 119.
Neuropsychology Central, 2002. Aphasia Assessment. Retrieved March 26, 2006, from the Neuropsychology Central Wed site http://www.neuropsychologycentral.com/interface/content/resources/resources_interface_frameset.html
Patricacou, A., Psallida, E., Pring, T. and Dipper, L., 2007. The Boston Naming Test in Greek: Normative data and the effects of age and education on naming, Aphasiology, 21(12):1157-1170.
Siegal, M. and Varley, R., 2006. Aphasia, language and theory of mind. Social Neuroscience 1:167-174.
Voos, J.A. Vigliecca, N.S. and Gonzalez E.A., 2007. Web based aphasia test using service oriented architecture, Journal of Physics: Conference Series 90, 16th Argentine Bioengineering Congress and the 5th Conference of Clinical Engineering, doi:10.1088/1742-6596/90/1/012003
Westbury, C., 2006. The Alberta language function assessment battery, Brain and Language, 99(1-2): 53-54, doi:10.1016/j.bandl.2006.06.041

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