Activity-based communication analysis–focusing on context in communication partner training

Abstract

Background: There is an increased awareness of contextual influence on communication involving persons with aphasia (PWA) and there is a need for frameworks addressing how to analyse contextual factors and address them in, for example, communication partner training (CPT). Activity-based communication analysis (ACA) is a theoretically based method providing a vocabulary and a structure for analysing the influence of context in interaction and how it relates to communication. Aims: The purpose of this paper is to present the framework of ACA as a means of stimulating further enrichment of CPT practices. Methods and Procedures: The paper provides a brief background to the ACA approach, including examples, as well as a checklist and a model for analysis and assessment of intervention addressing communication involving PWA. Outcomes and Results: This approach enables an explicit account of different contextual factors and how they relate to communication and may, thus, guide the design of CPT for particular participants and motivate behavioural change. Conclusions: ACA is a framework that addresses the influence of context on communicative interaction and provides a way of including contextual factors in a systematic way when analysing communication involving PWA. In this way, it can contribute to a richer analysis and intervention and is clearly applicable for CPT.