Melodic Intonation Therapy and aphasia: Another variation on a theme

Hough, M. S. (2010). Melodic Intonation Therapy and aphasia: Another variation on a theme. Aphasiology, 24(6-8), 775-786.

Abstract:

This study examines Melodic Intonation Therapy as a means of increasing verbal output. The author provides a case study about an adult patient with chronic Broca’s aphasia. Because this particular patient had difficulty with the tapping element of this technique, the therapist modified it to remove this element. The client attended three hour-long sessions a week over the course of eight weeks. At the beginning and end of each session ,the therapist administered standardised tests and social validation measures. Overall, the client significantly increased his ability to produce short phrases using MIT without tapping. Thus MIT appears to be a viable option for enhancing verbal output for some individuals with non-fluent aphasia, regardless of time post-stroke. Additional investigations are needed to examine generalisation effects to other linguistic contexts. Efficiency issues such as treatment length and intensity, require further exploration relative to MIT efficacy and effectiveness and its variations.

Link:

http://www.tandfonline.com.libproxy.wlu.ca/doi/abs/10.1080/02687030903501941?src=recsys#.U1XHzklzaP9