IS VERB NETWORK STRENGTHENING TREATMENT (VNeST) EFFECTIVE AT A LOWER DOSAGE?

Abstract

When delivering intervention to an individual with aphasia, clinicians must provide services that are grounded in evidence-based practice and show evidence of generalization of skills outside of therapy. Verb Network Strengthening Treatment is a straightforward treatment approach that requires inexpensive materials, making it possible to implement in various clinical settings in compliance with time allotted by insurance companies. The present study uses a single subject ABA design to investigate if the findings of Edmonds, Nadeau, & Kiran (2009) can be replicated when VNeST is administered using a lower dose of VNeST. Based on VNeST’s promotion of widespread activation of the semantic and syntactic network, it was predicted that reducing the dose of treatment would result in generalization to untrained items, as evidenced through weekly administration of probes and standardized testing. Results following treatment supported the hypothesis, however the effects of treatment were smaller than that of the original protocol.