Abstract
Rating scales are frequently used in research and clinical practice with people with
aphasia (PWA) to characterize communication in the home environment. However, it remains
unclear whether responses provided on rating scales accurately reflect the communication
that occurs. We aim to evaluate the accuracy of PWA's self-perceptions of verbal language
use as measured by a rating scale and determine whether this accuracy is different
from that of non–brain-injured (NBI) participants. Four PWA and four NBI participants
completed a rating scale estimating their amount of verbal language production as
compared with their communication partner. Audio recordings from participants' home
environments were analyzed for proportion of words and conversational turns contributed
by the participant, which were compared with rating scale estimates. Perceptions of
verbal language output among both PWA and NBI participants showed variable accuracy,
with discrepancies between estimates and objective data across both groups. The reliability
of rating scales in quantifying language output appears questionable, suggesting they
may not accurately represent naturalistic language environments of PWA. Additional
research with larger sample sizes is warranted to investigate whether this trend is
consistent across a larger population of individuals with aphasia.
Keywords
aphasia - rating scales - home environment - self-perception
