Date of Award

5-1-2023

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Thesis

Department

Communication Sciences & Disorders

First Advisor

Dr. Mary Gospel

Second Advisor

Dr. Jane Gervasio

Abstract

This study aimed to establish the impact of exposure to controlled, aphasia-friendly articles about dietary mindfulness on the nutritional literacy of people with aphasia. The student researcher evaluated five participants from the Butler Aphasia Community to determine their level of reading impairment, the severity of their aphasia, and baseline nutritional knowledge. Participants attended two pretest sessions, two reading sessions, and one post-test session. They were exposed to eight nutritional articles, four in an aphasia-friendly format and four in a traditional format, and evaluated on reading speed and comprehension. During their final session, the student researcher re-administered the assessment of nutritional literacy and interviewed the participants about their preferences regarding the two article formats: aphasia-friendly and traditional. Participants demonstrated statistically significant improvement in nutritional literacy but did not statistically significantly improve reading speed or comprehension. However, this study provides insight into the potential of bolstering reading enjoyment with aphasia-friendly textual modifications as participants reported more positive reading experiences when given aphasia-friendly adaptations.

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