The efficacy of semantic, repetition, and semantic-gesture treatments for aphasic verb retrieval deficits

We aimed to determine the efficacy of semantic, repetition, and combined semantic-gesture treatments for verb retrieval deficits in two individuals with Broca’s aphasia. We employed single-participant, multiple-baseline-across-conditions designs. Pre-post standardised tests and discourse samples were compared to investigate generalization effects, and 1- and 3-month follow up sessions to investigate maintenance effects. GF and PF demonstrated significantly improved naming performance immediately post-treatment. GF’s naming accuracy was not maintained at 3 months, while PF’s naming accuracy was maintained for items trained in the repetition-only and semantic treatment conditions. There was no generalization to untreated verbs but immediately post-treatment both participants demonstrated an increase in verbs produced on discourse tasks and increased informativeness in verbal output