This is a great therapy for helping people to think of nouns after a stroke.

Semantic Feature Analysis (SFA) procedure for home practice

1. Place the picture for the target word in the center of the board.

(Download a FREE SFA Board Below)

2. Have the person name the picture.

a. If the person can’t provide the name, provided it for them.

3. Complete the SFA diagram.

a. Complete it even if the person can name the picture.

4. The patient can write on the chart if they are able.

a. If not, write it for them.

5. Review the diagram and have patient rename the target.

a. Provide response if the person is unable to.

Cues for word features

• Group – It is a…?; It is a type of…?; What category would you put it in …?

• Action – What does it do?; (What does a person make it do?)

• Use – What is it used for?; What do you do with it?

• Properties – How would you describe it? (Shape, color, etc.)

• Location – Where do you find it?

• Association – What does it make you think of? What does it remind you of?

Davis, L. A., & Stanton, S. T. (2005). Semantic feature analysis as a functional therapy tool. Contemporary Issues in Communication Science and Disorders, 32(Fall), 85–92. https://doi.org/10.1044/cicsd_32_f_85

Printable SFA instructions

This is a great therapy for helping people to think of verbs and words connected to those verbs after a stroke.

Verb Network Strengthening Treatment (V-NeST)

Steps

1. Who/ what – Use a piece of paper to make a column for “who” and a column for “what.”

a. Write a verb in between these two columns.

b. Have the person think of the “who” related to the verb.

c. Write the word under the “who” column

i. If a person cannot provide a response, cue them.

1. Semantic/Context cue – example: Can you think of a red fruit? (Responses could be “apple” or “strawberry”)

a. If the verb is “fly” - A “who cue” could be, “Who flies as a job?”

2. If that doesn’t work, provide four words with one being correct.

a. Ask the person to read them (or read to them if they can’t) and choose the correct response

b. Make sure to have the person read them one at a time and give them time to process each concept

c. Once the correct word is chosen, write it under the “who”

d. Now request a “what” that goes with the “who” and the “verb.”

i. Provide cues as described above if the person needs assistance

1. The goal of cuing is to allow the person to come to the answer.

2. You are simply providing hints to allow them to get there.

e. Repeat this process until 3 or 4 pairs of “who” and “what” have been created for the verb.

Note: Try to have the person come up with one scenario that is relevant to them. This helps to activate their own memories of verbs and events. This allows a person to express things that are personally relevant and aids in the process of assimilation – connecting to things that are already in a person’s mind - which may make access to those words easier.

2. Have the person read the triads (group of three) out loud

a. Assist in reading as needed

b. If the person cannot read at all, try having them repeat

3. Have the person choose one triad (group of three). They will answer questions about it (where, when, and why)

a. Write the group of words on their own (where there isn’t interference from other words on the paper)

i. Ask the “where” question.

1. If a person chose “Mary – eat – spaghetti,” ask, “Where does Mary eat spaghetti?”

ii. Ask the “why” question.

1. “Why does Mary eat spaghetti at the Italian restaurant?”

iii. Ask the “when” question.

1. "When does Mary eat spaghetti at the Italian restaurant because it’s her favorite?” – Potential response: “on Fridays”

Note: Ask questions so that they make sense with the sentence being created. Focus on probable responses, not grammatically correct ones. Provide clarification if the person doesn’t understand the questions. Cue the person as needed.

4. Read simple sentences containing the verb. Have the person decide if the sentence is semantically correct (Does the sentence make sense?) (Yes/No)

a. Prepare these ahead of time.

b. Read 12 sentences (3 from 4 categories) (Correct, wrong agent (The doctor measures the lumber), wrong patient (The chef measures the television), and thematic reversal (The room measures the designer).

c. Have the person decide what makes sense based on what is generally true. (While a doctor can measure lumber, it isn’t something they generally do while at work.)

5. Ask the person what verb or action they have been working on.

a. Cue them if they need it

b. Use what you have been working on

c. Use the “who” and “what” with the verb removed

6. Repeat step 1 without cues

a. This allows independent retrieval of words after the other steps have been completed

b. Don’t emphasize memory. This isn’t a memory task.

c. See what they can do on their own and move on.

7. Continue to the next verb

This article is a summary of

Edmonds, L. A. (2014). Tutorial for verb network strengthening treatment (VNeST): Detailed description of the treatment protocol with corresponding theoretical rationale. Perspectives on Neurophysiology and Neurogenic Speech and Language Disorders, 24(3), 78–88. https://doi.org/10.1044/nnsld24.3.78

Printable Instructions for V-NeST