Use of spontaneous gesture patterns of people with aphasia at conversational level

Abstract

Introduction: Gestures are spontaneous hand and arm movements that are part of everyday communication. The roles of gestures are facilitating speech; particularly when word finding difficulties (WFDs) occur. Objectives: This study aimed to examines the type of gestures used during WFDs by Person with Aphasia (PwA), and determine the relationship between WFDs and production of gesture patterns and, use of gesture among PwA as a successful repair mechanism in conversational breakdowns. Methods: Ten minutes the spontaneous conversation was conducted with Ten PwA and Ten HCs (Healthy Controls). Data were analyzed in two phases. Gesture patterns and word finding difficulties were thematically analyzed. The checklist was used analyzed for descriptive cross-sectional design to identify the objectives. Results: Twelve gesture patterns were produced by PwA. The referential, Iconic character viewpoint, Iconic observer viewpoint, and metaphoric gesture pattern were most used PwA during the WFDs. Independent Mann Whitney U test showed that use of gesture patterns was significantly higher in PwA than in HCs (p < 0.01). A positive correlation was seen between the gesture patterns and WFDs of PwAs (r = 0.99, p < 0.01). Those with aphasia used a higher percentage of gestures as a repair mechanism of communication breakdown than HCs. Conclusions: The findings suggest that most of the gestures produced by PwA convey information for understanding their communication. The gestures are used by PwA during the WFDs to prevent a communication breakdown.