“I changed a lot as a human”: Implementation of LPAA

Principles of the Life Participation Approach to Aphasia (LPAA) within treatment have shown enhanced speech-language abilities, functional communication, and quality of life. This pilot study aims to support therapy aligned with LPAA by including persons with aphasia (PWA) perspectives. Focus groups with PWA as well as pre-post assessments revealed increases in confidence, functional communication, and quality of life following 2 semesters of therapy aligned with LPAA. Themes from focus groups align directly with the components of LPAA. Persons with aphasia also shared the pros and cons of therapy. Future research will investigate pedagogical techniques and explore LPAA implementation by practicing SLPs.