ABSTRACT
There are many, very different approaches to aphasia therapy reflecting the variety of viewpoints both about the nature of the impairment in aphasia and about the aims of the therapy process (Howard & Hatfield, 1987). The diversity also reflects the great variety of symptoms present in individual clients, the varying severity and the impact that language impairments have both for the client and for their communication partners. Therapy approaches have often been classified into two main groups (Albert, Goodglass, Helm, Rubens, & Alexander, 1981; Seron, 1984) based on the underlying view held as to what aphasia is and what therapy can consequently aim to achieve. First is the belief that aphasia reflects an impairment of access to language, or damage to language processes or representations. With therapy, language functions can be restored, relearned or retrained. The second approach is based on the assumption that the impaired processes are themselves irremediable. Therapy must draw on compensatory strategies (other language and communication skills) to take over those impaired functions.
