NADIIA
Narrative and Discourse Intervention in Aphasia
Our Partners
NADIIA: A novel approach to treating aphasia
Aphasia is a condition in which a person may have difficulty understanding or formulating spoken or written language, due to damage to specific regions of the brain. It has a range of causes including stroke, tumours, brain infections and neurodegenerative diseases.
NADIIA (Narrative and Discourse Intervention in Aphasia) is a promising new therapy being designed and tested by a team of experts across Australia and the UK. Based on knowledge about how we form words into sentences and longer narratives and discourses, this approach to therapy is showing great promise in helping those with aphasia to rebuild the vital tools of communication.
Taking therapy from paper to iPad
The NADIIA system involves the use of a range of narrative prompts and recording sheets, typically used in a therapy session with paper and pen. The team wanted to explore the use of mobile technology - an in particular, iPads - to facilitate the therapy both in a guided session, and independently at home. This tool would also facilitate recording and playback of narratives, and remote oversight of participants’ progress by their therapist.
Of course it was vital to ensure this digital tool accurately reflected the critical components of the therapy. Reach HPI worked closely with the NADIIA team to design this new digital resource.
Prototyping from concept to polished tool
Prototyping is a critical component of app development. This process enables quick iteration, so project team members and stakeholders can understand the proposed design and functionality, can test out ideas, and even seek user feedback at various stages of the design and development process.
Reach HPI uses a range of prototyping tools, matching the chosen approach to the unique needs of each project. For the NADIIA app. Effecitve prototyping and early user testing ensured that the app was simple, usable, and an accurate reproduction of the critical components of the paper-based NAADIA therapy system.
Publications and presentations
Funded by MSWA (Multiple Sclerosis Western Australia), the NADIIApp is currently being trialed by a team of researchers and clinicians, led by Professor Anne Whitworth at thew University of Tasmania. Consultation has taken place in the development phase with therapists and people with aphasia to test user acceptability. Ongoing feasibility trials are underway with people with aphasia. If the trial is successful, this will allow more people to be access the NADIIA program, including those in remote locations to continue their treatments from their home.
Find out more on the NADIIA website.
Using Narrative as a Bridge: Linking Language Processing Models with Real-Life Communication
A. Whitworth. Semin Speech Lang 2010
NARNIA: a new twist to an old tale. A pilot RCT to evaluate a multilevel approach to improving discourse in aphasia
A. Whitworth, S. Leitão, J. Cartwright, J. Webster, G.J. Hankey, J. Zach, V. Wolz. Aphasiology, 2015
Taking words to a new level: a preliminary investigation of discourse intervention in primary progressive aphasia
A. Whitworth, J. Cartwright, A. Beales, S. Leitão, P.K. Panegyres, R. Kane. Aphasiology, 2017
Exploring the Viability of NARNIA with Cognitive–Communication Difficulties: A Pilot Study
A. Whitworth, N. Ng, L. Timms, E. Power. Semin Speech Lang, 2020.