Free Therapy Materials

PSU Aphasia Lab: Communication Support Sign for Medical Settings

Our lab created a sign for use at a patient's bedside to easily show medical staff and family the individual's communication profile and recommended strategies. It is based on Aura Kagan's Supported Conversation for Adults with Aphasia (SCA) methodology, in which the conversation partner uses techniques to (i) acknowledge and (ii) reveal competence. To learn more about these techniques, we highly recommend you read this article​ and pay close attention to page 6. Verifying information is an important step to make sure both parties understand what was expressed. We also strongly encourage you to use and keep the following readily available for interactions with the patient: paper or whiteboard, sharpie (for you), pencil (for patient), written "yes/no/other" card, and pictographic images (see ParticiPics link below).

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Patient & Family Educational Handouts

The following handouts were made by supervised graduate students as their Capstone Project. Literature reviews were done first to establish evidence-based content and formatting guidelines that were then used to develop each handout. Download, use, and share these with your patients, their caregivers, and families! 

 

Community Resource Handout by Mia Cywinski

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Strategies for the Communication Partners of People with Aphasia by Molly Cohen

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Communication Tips for People with Aphasia by Krysta Hamilton 

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Continuum of Care (English) by Kelsie Smith

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Continuum of Care (Spanish) by Kelsie Smith