We aim to tackle the main identified issues in the current research into aphasia by focusing on five research programs and projects.

AI

AI generated images – acceptability and goodness-of-depiction compared to human sourced images

Team: Yina Liu, John Pierce, Jon Hunt, Robin Keech

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Involvement of people with aphasia and clinicians in development of AI tools: A systematic review

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

People With Aphasia and Artificial Intelligence: Lived Experiences, Current Use, and Imagined Futures

We are interviewing people living with aphasia about technology and AI - how they use it now and what they'd like AI to do in future. Results will help us understand how people with aphasia want technology to help them in future.

Team: Matthew Berryman (lived experience researcher), Annie Hill, John Pierce

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

AI research agenda for aphasia

Team: Collaboration of Aphasia Triallists (CATs) working group, led by John Pierce

Communication Connect

Communication Connect

Team: Miranda/ Dave Copland/ Leanne Togher/ Ian Kneebone/ Emma Power/ Damminda Alahakoon/ Dana Wong/ Annie Hill/ Tim Usherwood/ Brooke Ryan/ Richard Lindley/ Dominique Cadilhac/ Leonid Churilov/ Kelvin Hill/ Tracy Sheldrick/ Michelle Attard/ Ciara Shiggins/ Rachael Rietdjik/ Lucie Lanyon

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The development and testing of a technology-based intervention program for carers in post-stroke aphasia

Aim: Enable carers to identify and solve their own challenges independently and to provide personalised psychoeducation. Test the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of the technology-based intervention for carers.

Team: Nelson J. Hernandez (PhD student), Miranda Rose, John E. Pierce, Dana Wong

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Adaptation of Communication Connect to the Malaysian context

Team: Shu En Lee (PhD student), Annie Hill, Miranda Rose, John E. Pierce, Fatimah Hani Hassan

Outcome measurements for clinical trials

Aphasia-DOOR: Your Voice in Measuring Research Success    

We want to make a better way to check if aphasia therapy really helps.

MMAT

M-MAT Tele

M-MAT Tele is a group therapy that aims to improve talking for people with aphasia.

Multi-Modality Aphasia Treatment (M-MAT) is a group-based aphasia intervention delivered face-to-face which focuses on improving spoken communication. Spoken output is facilitated through practice of speech, drawing, reading, writing, and using gestures. It is an intensive treatment with individuals receiving 30 hours of therapy spread across 5 weeks. Treatment is delivered in a group of 2-3 people with aphasia.

M-MAT Co-constructed Discourse norms - RECRUITING NOW!

We’re inviting conversation pairs to take part in an exciting research study exploring how people communicate unusual pictures to a conversation partner. This work will help us improve how communication for people with aphasia is assessed and supported.

More information & contact details here
Team: John Pierce, Shu En Lee, Erin Lawson (honours student), Jodie Smith , Marcella Carragher

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mild Aphasia

To co-design better assessments and interventions for people with very mild/subclinical aphasia.
Funded by a $23K La Trobe Kickstarter Scheme, this project is led by Dr John Pierce.

Activities -

• Conduct traditional and exploratory assessments on people with mild aphasia and very mild/“subclinical” aphasia as per WAB; interview participants about their perceptions of these assessments.
• Focus groups with n=6 very mild aphasia, n=5 health professionals, to understand gaps and priorities for an intervention.
• Unfunded: Co-design an intervention package.

More information available here

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Inclusive conversations for safer medicine use

We are developing evidence-informed online learning modules for pharmacists to improve medication conversations with patients who have communication support needs. We will assess the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary efficacy of the modules before making them available to all pharmacists through the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia.

This project is being led by Professor Robyn O'Halloran and is a collaboration between La Trobe University, Deakin University, Western Health, Western Health Lived Experience Advisor Program and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia. The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care under the Quality Use of Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Pathology program, have provided $870K in funding to support the project for 2025 – 2027.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Aphasia Therapy Finder phase 3

To develop, evaluate, maintain and grow a clinical implementation tool for evidence-based aphasia therapy.

Funded by: The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia, UK

Activity: Survey to establish need for ATF (2022). Developed and tested prototype web-app (2022-2023). Built webapp (2023). Worked with 60 aphasia researchers internationally to develop therapy profiles for 25 aphasia therapies (2022-2024). Launched web-app (IARC, 2024). User experience evaluation (surveys and focus groups, 2026).

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

COMPARE Aphasia Therapy Research Trial                                     

COMPARE was an NHMRC-funded randomised controlled research trial that compared the outcomes of two different treatments for people with aphasia.

Outcomes of the trial have now been published and resources are available now.