Effects of verbal plus gestural matrix training on sentence production in a patient with primary progressive aphasia

This research examined the effectiveness of verbal plus gestural treatment on the acquisition and generalization of present, past and future verb tenses in NP + V + NP sentence production in a primary progressive aphasic subject. Using a single-subject multiple-baseline design across behaviours as well as a matrix training procedure, treatment and generalization effects both within and across language matrices were examined. The relation between gestural and verbal responding was also examined post-hoc using a modified reversal design component. Results indicated improved production of sentences utilizing trained verb tenses and generalization to untrained verbs within tense. Paired gestural plus verbal responding resulted in higher levels of correct oral sentence production than verbal training alone. Findings are discussed in the context of brain mechanisms underlying gestural and verbal language production.