Perceptual Differences in the Conversational Performance of People with Severe Expressive Aphasia Using Three Types of Visual Screen Displays on Speech Generating Devices

A multiple single-subject randomized design experimental study measured the perceptions of three persons with aphasia and their communication partners without aphasia when communicating across three conditions: Condition A--speech generating device (SGD) with No Display; Condition B--SGD with visual scene display (VSD); and Condition C--SGD with traditional grid display (TGD). Quantitative data were collected in the forms of preference choice of display type, a forced-choice ranking of experimental sessions, and 7-pt Likert rating scales. All participants rated the dependent variables of communicative success, ease, independence, and naturalness across conditions. Qualitative data were collected in the form of open-ended interviews conducted at the end of each experimental session and at the close of the study. Each participant dyad completed six experimental sessions consisting of a conversational interaction in which the person with aphasia shared a personally relevant story. Quantitative analyses revealed that 2 of 3 persons with aphasia preferred Condition B (VSD) over the other experimental conditions. All three persons with aphasia chose sessions using VSD as their best or top-ranked sessions in the forced-choice ranking task. Qualitative analysis revealed that peer communication partners and participants with aphasia had both favorable perceptions and criticism of the VSD