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There are many opportunities to participate in research at the UNC-CARD.

These are some of our ongoing studies:

 

Speech Profiles and Cue Responsiveness after Left Hemisphere Stroke

This is a 5-year study, sponsored by NIH/NIDCD. Participants are enrolled at two sites: University of North Carolina Medical Center (Chapel Hill) and Atrium Health (Charlotte). Our goal is to improve assessment of speech difficulties after left hemisphere stroke (including apraxia of speech, dysarthria, and aphasia with phonemic paraphasia). Development activities generate assessment tools and strategies for clinical and research use and are disseminated through the UNC CARD GitHub account; check the resources tab). Our team is working to:

  1. Develop a new assessment for documenting speech profiles after left hemisphere stroke and document their severity
  2. Develop a quantitative signature for speech profiles after left hemisphere stroke.
  3. Identify a functional link between speech profiles and responsiveness to intervention techniques.

 

Speech Profiles and Cue Responsiveness in Primary Progressive Aphasia

This is a 12-month study, sponsored by NIH/NIA. Collaborating sites include the University of Texas at Austin and the University of New Mexico. The purpose is to extend our work in stroke to aphasia with a progressive etiology. Our goals are to:

  1. Evaluate how the speech assessment for stroke on people with primary progressive aphasia and make adjustments so ensure that the tools are valid, reliable, and practical for both etiologies.
  2. Determine to what extent different speech profiles predict how people respond to different intervention techniques.

 

The Life Interests and Values Project

This community-engaged project is funded through smaller pilot grants. We are collaborating with speech-language pathologists, mental health counselors, and families living with aphasia to identify barriers and solutions for engaging in meaningful and impactful treatment and life participation. The project includes several components:

  • ActionSC treatment for Apraxia of Speech
  • The L!V Cards (check the resources tab)
  • Modified Behavioral Activation Therapy
  • Goal setting strategies, including the FOURC model (check the resources tab)

 

The Aphasia Outcomes Project

  • Our team of clinicians and researchers is studying:
    • recovery of communication problems following stroke
    • impact of a person’s stroke on the health status and quality of life of their loved ones
  • We are enrolling participants for a research study assessing communication and life activities in:
    • persons with communication problems due to stroke (aphasia)
    • friends and family members of stroke survivors
  • This research study, “Communication, activity, and life participation in adults with aphasia” (IRB #13-0655), has been approved by the UNC Biomedical Institutional Review Board.
  • See flier for more details

 

To come: Join a community presentation about our research (on Zoom)