Developing Cognitive Control Training for Aphasia: Insights From Treatment Theory and Enablement Theory.

Abstract

It remains challenging to optimize treatment for individuals with aphasia. One of the reasons is that the language processing deficits associated with aphasia have various underlying linguistic and nonlinguistic causes. The utility of cognitive training focusing on attention and working memory has been investigated in aphasia treatment. However, a related cognitive function, namely, cognitive control, remains underexplored. This article leverages treatment and enablement theories to evaluate current cognitive treatments and guide the development of new treatments focused on cognitive control in aphasia. We provide the theoretical and empirical rationale for exploring the clinical significance of cognitive control in aphasia rehabilitation and discuss how treatment and enablement theories may be used to develop a systematic cognitive training approach. We conclude with future directions for cognitive control research that can advance more personalized aphasia rehabilitation.