Person-centered augmentative and alternative communication with Verb Network Strengthening training: a case study in Broca’s aphasia

Introduction AAC interventions are designed to support the social, emotional, and everyday communication needs of individuals, including those with chronic aphasia. Research indicates that AAC interventions not only help meet communication needs but also have the potential to improve verb naming abilities in people with aphasia (PWA). However, there remains a gap in the literature regarding integrating evidence-based AAC interventions to enhance verb naming for PWA.Objective This study aimed to investigate the potential benefits of a novel Personalized AAC Verb Enhancement (PAVE) intervention to support verb use and communication efficiency in an individual with chronic Broca’s aphasia.Methods A single-participant clinical case study using a multiple-probe design across three topics was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of PAVE, a person-centered AAC intervention combined with Verb Network Strengthening Treatment (VNeST) strategies, for an individual with chronic Broca’s aphasia. Visual analysis and the non-overlap of all pairs (NAP) method were employed to assess improvements in spoken verb naming (VN) and AAC verb identification (AVI). Social validity was measured using a questionnaire administered to both the client and their spouse before and after the intervention.Results The client demonstrated robust and sustained treatment effects in VN and AVI. Both client and spouse reported positive impressions of the PAVE intervention and noted improvements in verb production and communication accuracy.Conclusion The PAVE intervention shows potential as a clinically valuable approach to increase verb naming outcomes for PWA.