ERIC Number: EJ1472506
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-May
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1368-2822
EISSN: EISSN-1460-6984
Available Date: 2025-05-10
Assessing Functional Communication in Persons with Aphasia: A Scoping Review of Formal and Informal Measures
Lauren Hammond1; Thomas Christensen1; Julius Fridriksson1; Dirk B. den Ouden1
International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, v60 n3 e70051 2025
Background: The communicative effectiveness of persons with aphasia (PWA) has been assessed through a range of functional communication measures. However, variability in interpretations of what is covered by the term "functional communication" may have resulted in challenges to the implementation of appropriate and consistent patient-centred evaluations, with different measures focusing on subsets of the components of functional communication. Aims: This paper aims to examine the current literature on informal and formal evaluation of functional communication in PWA and to identify gaps in currently available assessment tools. Methods: This scoping review included studies published between 1965 and 2024 that assessed functional communication in PWA, excluding studies focused on non-aphasic populations or impairment-based assessments without real-world application. Systematic searches were conducted in PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, and PsycINFO using predefined search terms. Of the 541 studies identified, 67 met the inclusion criteria after title/abstract and full-text screening. Measures were categorized as formal (standardized) or informal (non-standardized) and evaluated based on contextuality, multimodality, and interactiveness. Informal assessments also emphasized life participation, quality of life, augmentative alternative communication (AAC) strategies, conversational discourse, the informativeness and complexity of language use, and real-world communicative transactions. Main Contribution: In the 67 studies included in the literature review, 32 functional communication assessments were identified across the categories of informal and formal evaluation. Informal assessments (28) included patient-reported, clinician-reported, observer-reported, and performance-based outcome measures. Formal functional communication assessments (4) included systematically normed instruments provided to PWA under controlled conditions, yielding a diagnosis or level of specified functional communication capability. Of the reviewed informal and formal measures, a limited quantity met all criteria for a comprehensive assessment of functional communication in aphasia, namely, being contextual, multimodal, and interactive. Conclusions: Existing assessments reveal gaps in the comprehensive evaluation of functional communication. The findings emphasize the need for standardized, multimodal, and context-sensitive tools that better reflect the dynamic, real-world communicative needs of PWA.
Descriptors: Aphasia, Communication Skills, Patients, Medical Care Evaluation, Quality of Life, Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Interpersonal Communication, Language Usage, Performance Based Assessment
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www-wiley-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Arnold School of Public Health, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, USA