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About Aphasia |
| What is aphasia? The National Aphasia Association defines aphasia as “an acquired communication disorder that impairs a person’s ability to process language, but does not affect intelligence.” Aphasia impairs the expression and understanding of language, as well as reading and writing. One million people in the United States currently have aphasia, and 80,000 individuals will acquire the disorder each year, primarily following stroke. |
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Our Mission
At the Aphasia Laboratory at the University of Washington, we conduct research to better understand the complex processing of language and its breakdown in individuals with aphasia.
In particular, we study:
- The theoretical nature of word retrieval deficits in aphasia.
- Rehabilitation of aphasia.
- The influence of attention and vigilance on word retrieval.
- The psycholinguistic principles of stimuli used in treatment and/or standardized assessments.
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Director: Diane Kendall |
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 Dr. Kendall’s research program is focused on rehabilitation of aphasia and in particular understanding the theoretical relationship between phonology (e.g. sounds) and aphasia. Her overall career objectives are to conduct systematic, Phase I through V treatment outcomes research. Through a VA RR&D Associate Investigator Award (2000-2002) and Career Research Development Award (2002-2005), Dr. Kendall systematically developed protocols in phonologic treatment for acquired aphasia. She received a VA RR&D Advanced Career Development Award (2005-2008) to construct a valid and reliable measure of phonologic function that will be sensitive in detecting the presence of phonological deficits in people with aphasia and that will differentiate among patterns of phonologic impairment. To that end Dr. Kendall, and her colleagues, have just completed development of the Standardized Assessment of Phonology in Aphasia (SAPA). |
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