Supported Conversation for Adults with Aphasia (SCA™)

If you have a family member or loved one with aphasia, you’ve probably experienced frustration trying to communicate. If you want to improve your conversations but aren’t sure how, Supported Conversation strategies can be a great place to start.

Supported Conversation for Adults with Aphasia (SCA™) developed by the Aphasia Institute. It teaches communication partners how to support the person with aphasia. SCA can be helpful for people with all types of aphasia. Its goal is to improve conversation for people who have trouble speaking or understanding language. Treatment focuses on the communication partner, not the person with aphasia.

SCA asks the person with aphasia and the communication partner to work together to improve communication. It is a great tool for people who want to learn strategies to help their loved one with aphasia to communicate. SCA is based on the idea that conversation is an important part of life participation. SCA states that the person with aphasia is competent, or knows more than they can say. It trains the communication partner to help the person with aphasia to get and give information.

SCA uses a multi-modal communication approach. This means that it encourages communication in many forms, such as speaking, writing and drawing. Examples of strategies that are taught include:

• Speaking in a normal tone of voice
• Acknowledging communication difficulties and trying to fix them
• Writing key words
• Using drawing or gestures, focusing on one word at a time
• Keeping a written “log” of the conversation that can be reviewed
• Asking yes/no questions to confirm understanding
• Summarizing what the person with aphasia has communicated

SCA training can be helpful for anyone who communicates with a person with aphasia. The techniques can be used in everyday conversation, by anyone. The more people that receive training, the more the person with aphasia will be able to communicate!