Author Description

This guide is intended to assist individuals (including therapists, relatives and friends, and volunteer and paid tutors) who are attempting to help adults relearn communication skills lost through stroke or accident. The first section examines dysphasia and the needs of dysphasics in an attempt to help the layperson understand the causes of dysphasia and its effects on a person's ability to communicate. A section on assessment covers initial and formal assessment, reassessment, and prognosis. It provides guidelines for assessing students' skills in the areas of understanding, speech, reading, and writing; discusses the need to record assessment finding; and describes making effective tutoring plans. The next section covers using a tutoring plan and examines the areas of understanding, speech, reading, and writing in general terms. Four case studies and appropriate teaching strategies for use in each situation are presented in the next section. Provided next is a list of books and materials that tutors working in the field of dysphasia have found useful. A tutorial project to help dysphasic adults that is operating in Essex, England, is described with special emphasis on the details of setting up service delivery (including necessary liaisons, ways of finding and using helpers, training for tutors, student recruitment, difficulties in finding appropriate transport, and possible organizational patterns). Concluding the guide is a list of useful references and addresses. (MN)