Generalizability in Research with Cognitively Impaired Individuals

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Generalizability in Research with Cognitively
Impaired Individuals

• Karyn Moffatt, Leah Findlater, Meghan Allen
• University of British Columbia
• Vancouver, BC, Canada

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What is aphasia?

• Acquired language disorder
• Caused by brain damage stroke, tumor, trauma,
• Affects 1.1 million North Americans
• Impairment of communication abilities
• Relative sparing of other cognitive abilities

Aphasia is a loss of words not intelligence
??
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Applications
File Facility Supports existing communication
strategies
ESI Planner Image and Sound Enhanced Daily
Planner
VERA Uses a visual language for cooking
instruction
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Generalizability Challenges

• General vs. custom solutions
• Large variability in skills and needs

vs.
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A Couple of Approaches

• Designing in the small testingin the large

Design
Evaluation

• Using detailed assessments of functional
  abilities

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But what else?