title: Sentactics®: Computer-Automated Treatment of Underlying Forms.
abstract: BACKGROUND: Treatment of Underlying Forms (TUF) is a linguistically-based treatment for improving agrammatic sentence deficits, which enjoys a substantial database attesting to its efficacy for improving both sentence comprehension and production in agrammatic aphasia. However, TUF requires considerable linguistic background to administer and administration time can exceed the number of treatment sessions allotted in toto for reimbursement by third party payors in the United States. Thus, Sentactics®, an interactive computer system that enables delivery of TUF by a virtual clinician was developed.  AIMS: This study tested the effects of Sentactics® on the acquisition and generalized production and comprehension of complex sentences. Additionally, a direct comparison of the results of computer-delivered Sentactics® and clinician-delivered TUF was undertaken.  METHODS #ENTITYSTARTX00026; PROCEDURES: Twelve agrammatic aphasic speakers participated in the study, with six receiving Sentactics® and six serving as experimental controls, who received no treatment. All participants were administered pre- and post-treatment sentence comprehension and production tests and other measures to evaluate the effects of Sentactics®. Performance of the Sentactics® group also was compared to eight agrammatic patients who previously received clinician-delivered TUF treatment, identical to that delivered via Sentactics®, but with a human clinician.  OUTCOMES #ENTITYSTARTX00026; RESULTS: Sentactics® significantly improved all six aphasic speakers' ability to comprehend and produce both trained and untrained, linguistically related, complex sentences as compared to six agrammatic control participants who did not receive Sentactics®. In addition, comparing the results of the Sentactics® to clinician-delivered TUF revealed no significant differences between approaches with regard to acquisition or generalization patterns.  CONCLUSIONS: These data provide further support for the efficacy of TUF and demonstrate the viability of computer-delivered therapies in the field of aphasia treatment.
authors.affiliation: Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.
authors.forename: Cynthia K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Jungwon Janet
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Choy
authors.forename: Audrey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Holland
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cole