Abstract
Aphasia interventions that do not require verbal responses (implicit therapy approaches) can be beneficial when verbal errors are prevalent and frustrating for the individual. Intensive, error-reducing interventions utilizing computerized four-picture stimuli and requiring inhibition of close semantic competitors as well as activation of the target have also been shown to improve word retrieval. This study, which was counterbalanced to address order effects, compared an implicit, semantic decision-based verb intervention with an intervention identical in all respects except for the requirement of speech production in an individual with fluent aphasia. Clear response to both production-free and production-required interventions was observed, and training effects in both phases were maintained. Order effects were observed, with the first training method in each phase demonstrating a larger size effect. Findings support the use of semantic decision-based, production-free training as a potentially valuable augmentation to conventional therapy for aphasia rehabilitation. In addition, verb training may have direct effects on spontaneous speech and fluency.