Recruiting
Phase 2

SFA vs. SFA+MST

Sponsor:

Teachers College, Columbia University

Code:

NCT07036406

Conditions

Aphasia

Aphasia Following Cerebral Infarction

Aphasia, Acquired

Aphasia, Rehabilitation

Aphasia, Anomic

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Semantic Feature Analysis (traditional)

Semantic Feature Analysis + Metacognitive Strategy Training

Study Details

Brief summary:

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the effectiveness of traditional Semantic Feature Analysis (SFA) treatment to a modified SFA protocol that includes Metacognitive Strategy Training (SFA+MST) for adults with acquired aphasia. The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • What are the comparative outcomes in picture naming accuracy and strategy use during picture naming following 2 months of traditional SFA versus SFA + MST in adults with acquired aphasia?
  • What are the comparative outcomes in percent of informative content and rate of informative content during spontaneous speech production following 2 months of traditional SFA versus SFA + MST in adults with acquired aphasia?

Researchers will compare outcomes between these two treatments to see if SFA+MST yields larger effects in picture naming and spontaneous speech outcomes than traditional SFA.

Participants will complete:

  • 5-7 pre-treatment assessment sessions where they will be asked to name pictures, tell stories/describe pictures, answer questions, and complete questionnaires,
  • 3 treatment sessions of SFA \*OR\* SFA+MST per week for 8 weeks, for a total of 24 sessions,
  • 7 weekly probes (i.e., short, intermittent assessments throughout the treatment phase),
  • 3 post-treatment assessment sessions immediately after treatment ends, where they will complete the same assessment tasks as they did pre-treatment (e.g., naming pictures, telling stories, etc.),
  • 2 retention assessment sessions, one 30 days and the other 60 days following the final treatment session, where they will be asked to name pictures, tell stories/describe pictures, and describe what they learned during the study.

Conditions

Aphasia

Aphasia Following Cerebral Infarction

Aphasia, Acquired

Aphasia, Rehabilitation

Aphasia, Anomic

Study ID

NCT07036406

Start date

Jul 28, 2025

Status verified date

Jun, 2026

Completion date

Jul, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Dec, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Have aphasia due to a single acute event (e.g., left-hemisphere stroke, traumatic brain injury)
  • Be at least six-months post aphasia-onset,
  • Be a proficient English speaker,
  • Have normal or corrected to normal hearing (i.e., hearing aids) and vision (i.e., eyeglasses),
  • Have no history of neurodegenerative disease (e.g., dementia), severe motor speech disorder, significant mental illness, psychiatric disorder, drug/alcohol abuse, or neurological condition that could influence their cognitive, language, and memory systems

Exclusion Criteria:

  • A history of neurodegenerative disease (e.g., dementia), severe motor speech disorder, significant mental illness, psychiatric disorder, drug/alcohol abuse, or neurological condition that could influence their cognitive, language, and memory systems,
  • Children under the age of 18,
  • Adults over the age of 89,
  • Uncorrected hearing and vision.

Study Design

Enrollment

40 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

active comparator: Traditional Semantic Feature Analysis

A portion of the study participants will participate in traditional Semantic Feature Analysis treatment, as described in Gravier, M. L., Dickey, M. W., Hula, W. D., Evans, W. S., Owens, R. L., Winans-Mitrik, R. L., \& Doyle, P. J. (2018). What matters in semantic feature analysis: Practice-related predictors of treatment response in aphasia. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 27(1S), 438-453. https://doi.org/10.1044/2017\_AJSLP-16-0196. Briefly, this treatment involves naming pictures of objects, describing the objects' features (e.g., category membership, physical attributes, etc.), and creating sentences using the objects' names.

experimental: Semantic Feature Analysis + Metacognitive Strategy Training

A portion of the study participants will participate in traditional Semantic Feature Analysis treatment, as described in Tilton-Bolowsky, V. E., Brock, L., Nunn, K., Evans, W. S., \& Vallila-Rohter, S. (2023). Incorporating metacognitive strategy training into semantic treatment promotes restitutive and substitutive gains in naming: A single-subject investigation. American journal of speech-language pathology, 32(5), 1979-2020. https://doi.org/10.1044/2023\_AJSLP-22-00230. Briefly, this treatment involves metacognitive teaching and practice, naming pictures of objects, describing the objects' features (e.g., category membership, physical attributes, etc), creating sentences using the objects' names, debriefing on overall performance, and discussing recent and future opportunities for strategy implementation in real life.

Interventions

Semantic Feature Analysis (traditional)

This treatment involves naming pictures of objects, describing the objects' features (e.g., category membership, physical attributes, etc.), and creating sentences using the objects' names. It does not include direct metacognitive strategy training.

Semantic Feature Analysis + Metacognitive Strategy Training

This treatment involves metacognitive teaching and practice, naming pictures of objects, describing the objects' features (e.g., category membership, physical attributes, etc), creating sentences using the objects' names, debriefing on overall performance, and discussing recent and future opportunities for strategy implementation in real life.

Primary outcome measure

  • Confrontation naming accuracy [ Time Frame: Change from Baseline through study completion, an average of 6 months ]
  • Independent word-finding strategy use [ Time Frame: Change from Baseline through study completion, an average of 6 months ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Victoria Tilton-Bolowsky, Ph.D. CCC-SLP

212-678-8302veb2119@tc.columbia.edu

Locations

Teachers College, Columbia University

Recruiting

New York, New York, United States, 10027

Contacts

Victoria Tilton-Bolowsky, Ph.D. CCC-SLP

212-678-8302veb2119@tc.columbia.edu

More Information

Sponsor

Teachers College, Columbia University

Last update posted

Jun 25, 2026

Last verified

Jun, 2026

Keywords

  • Aphasia
  • Anomia
  • Stroke
  • Communication
  • Language

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Teachers College, Columbia University on 2026-06-25.