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An Enhanced Aphasia Awareness Training Program for Emergency Responders

Ranta, Amy Lynn
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1373473856

Abstract Details

2013, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, Speech Language Pathology.
Although communication breakdowns can occur anytime for people who have communication and speech impairments, they will likely be exacerbated in times of increased stress, such as an emergency situation. One communication impairment that is quite prevalent and often misunderstood is aphasia. Aphasia is an acquired communication disorder that affects a person’s language, and can impact their ability to speak, understand spoken language, read, and write. Law enforcement officials are one group likely to come in contact with a person who has aphasia in a variety of situations ranging from traffic stops to emergency situations. For this reason, it is important to train and educate emergency responders about aphasia and how to make communication with persons with aphasia more effective. Health care workers and public safety officials need increased education regarding communication impairments and ways to effectively overcome these barriers with community members. Several studies have shown this method of training to be effective (Ganzfried & Symbolik, 2011; Hopper & Holland, 1998; Welsh & Szabo, 2011). The present study examined the effects of a training program on a person’s ability to define/describe aphasia, recognize an individual with aphasia, and identify/utilize tips for more effective communication with persons with aphasia. Participants each attended a single training program 120 minute in length, which included a PowerPoint presentation, video examples, and opportunity for discussion and interaction with a guest speaker with aphasia. Participants’ knowledge was assessed by administering “The Aphasia Quiz” as a pre- and post-test of knowledge. Participants were asked to independently complete the pre-test before the training session began and complete the same test at the completion of the training session. Participants were also asked to complete an exit survey to rate the quality of the presentation and the information they received. Results indicated a significant increase in knowledge as a result of the training session, and overall satisfaction of the training program from participants. The results of this study may improve future interactions between emergency responders and persons with aphasia, as well as influence the type of training about communication impairments emergency responders receive in the future.
Michelle Bourgeois, Ph.D. (Advisor)
Stacy Harnish, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
39 p.
Speech Therapy
Aphasia; aphasia training;

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Ranta, A. L. (2013). An Enhanced Aphasia Awareness Training Program for Emergency Responders [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1373473856

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Ranta, Amy. An Enhanced Aphasia Awareness Training Program for Emergency Responders. 2013. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1373473856.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Ranta, Amy. "An Enhanced Aphasia Awareness Training Program for Emergency Responders." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1373473856

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1373473856
3,461
© 2013, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License An Enhanced Aphasia Awareness Training Program for Emergency Responders by Amy Lynn Ranta is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.