title: "Waiting on the words": procedures and outcomes of a drama class for individuals with aphasia.
abstract: Drama therapy offers an authentic medium through which people with aphasia can interact and share their experiences. We describe the rationale and procedures of a drama class, informed by the principles and practices of drama therapy, in which individuals with chronic aphasia conceptualized, wrote, and produced a play addressing their experiences of having, living with, and coping with the effects of aphasia. Sessions were cofacilitated by a speech-language pathologist and a drama therapist. We describe the drama activities and techniques in each of four distinct stages of a drama therapy process through which the group transitioned. We also summarize patient-reported outcomes of a representational group of seven participants. Subscales of the Burden of Stroke Scale and the Communication Confidence Rating Scale for Aphasia were administered before and after participation in the 18-week class. Means, standard deviations, and effect sizes were computed. Results indicated perceived improvements in both communication and mood.
authors.affiliation: Center for Aphasia Research and Treatment, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Lcherney@ric.org
authors.forename: Leora R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Cherney
authors.forename: Ann K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Oehring
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Whipple
authors.forename: Ted
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rubenstein
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001039:Aphasia, Broca / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D017281:Cost of Illness; D004644:Emotions; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living / Q000523:psychology; D007223:Infant; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D008875:Middle Aged; D009633:Nonverbal Communication; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011577:Psychodrama / Q000379:methods*; D013066:Speech-Language Pathology; D014705:Verbal Behavior