Support materials for people with aphasia

6.2 People with aphasia should have aphasia-friendly material available to enable them to participate in communication.

Reference: Brennan et al., 2005: cohort study; Rose et al., 2003: Pre and post experimental design; Rose et al., 2010: Qualitative study; Rose et al., 2012: Qualitative study; Worrall et al., 2007: Narrative review

NHMRC level of Evidence: III-2

Rationale: Aphasia-friendly materials can assist people with aphasia to comprehend written information (Brennan et al., 2005; Rose et al., 2003). Recommendations for how to best format printed education material for people with aphasia include the use of (Rose et al., 2003; Rose et al., 2012): short, simple language, content that is relevant and interesting to the reader, san serif font, bolding of important information, well organised information, and the use of relevant graphics that contain captions.

However, individual variations must always be considered as not everyone prefers aphasia-friendly material (Rose et al., 2003). Particular caution should be taken when using illustrations as some reports suggest that they can be distracting rather than helpful (Brennan et al., 2005). In addition, aphasia-friendly materials need to be supported by dialogue between the health professional and client, easily obtainable, provided repeatedly, and available in a range of media (Rose et al., 2010; Worrall et al., 2007) 

References:

1. Brennan, A., Worrall, L., & McKenna, K. (2005). The relationship between specific features of aphasia-friendly written material and comprehension of written material for people with aphasia: An exploratory study. Aphasiology, 19(8), 693-711. doi: 10.1080/02687030444000958
2. Rose, T., Worrall, L., & McKenna, K. (2003). The effectiveness of aphasia‐friendly principles for printed health education materials for people with aphasia following stroke. Aphasiology, 17(10), 947-963. doi: 10.1080/02687030344000319
3. Rose, T., Worrall, L., Hickson, L., & Hoffmann, T. (2010). Do people with aphasia want written stroke and aphasia information? A verbal survey exploring preferences for when and how to provide stroke and aphasia information. Topics in Stroke Rehabiliation, 17(2). doi: 10.1310/tsr1702-79
4. Rose, T. A., Worrall, L. E., Hickson, L. M., & Hoffmann, T. C. (2012). Guiding principles for printed education materials: design preferences of people with aphasia. International Journal of  Speech-language Pathology, 14(1). doi: 10.3109/17549507.2011.63158.
5. Worrall, L., Rose, T., Howe, T., McKenna, K., & Hickson, L. (2007). Developing an evidence‐base for accessibility for people with aphasia. Aphasiology, 21(1), 124-136. doi: 10.1080/02687030600798352

RESOURCES: 

How can I make written information aphasia-friendly?

1. Text formatting for aphasia friendly health information  
2. Written stroke and aphasia information: preferences of people with aphasia