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Research Project

Harnessing Portable Smart Camera Technology to Support the Communication Skills of People with Aphasia (HARP Aphasia study)

Principal Investigators

Dr Anna Caute (Chief Investigator)
Mark Allinson

More than 350,000 people in the UK have aphasia, a complex language and communication disability usually caused by stroke.

Research has found that Speech and Language Therapy for aphasia can improve reading, writing and speaking skills, but it is challenging to generalise these benefits to everyday life. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence recommends that assistive technologies should be considered as a method to improve communication in people with aphasia, but there is currently a lack of evidence-based treatments.

The HARP Aphasia Study started in April 2024. It is funded by an NIHR Research for Patient Benefit Grant. The project is based at North East London NHS Foundation Trust and is led by Dr Anna Caute of the University of Essex. The study will start with a scoping review of the literature about the use of portable smart-camera technology in communication disabilities and rehabilitation, followed by a market survey of commercially available apps suitable for use in healthcare.

In the second phase of the study, we will work with people with aphasia and Speech and Language Therapists to develop a novel intervention. The new intervention will use existing portable smart-camera technology to enhance the communication skills of people with aphasia, targeting spoken language and reading comprehension.

We will conduct a series of focus groups and workshops with people with aphasia and Speech and Language Therapists. People with aphasia will discuss ways that portable smart-camera technology could address communication difficulties and explore existing apps. They will also have the option to carry out a photo diary about their communication successes and challenges and be interviewed about their communication experiences.

We will collaborate with people with aphasia and Speech and Language Therapists to develop the new intervention, which will include a therapy manual. In the final stage of the study, people with aphasia and Speech and Language Therapists will provide feedback on the manual through workshops.

Funding

This project has been funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

Contact

If you would like to find out more about the project, please contact Anna Caute (anna.caute@essex.ac.uk) or Leila Mirza (leila.mirza@nelft.nhs.uk).

Take part

Are you interested in sharing your experiences of aphasia to help us design the new therapy?

We’re looking for people with aphasia after a stroke. Participants will take part in focus groups and an interview.

If you'd like to find out more about taking part in this project, please email Leila Mirza (Leila.mirza@nelft.nhs.uk).

Researchers

Dr Anna Caute

Chief Investigator

School of Health and Social Care, University of Essex

Leila Mirza

Senior Research Assistant, North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT)

I am a Senior Research Assistant working on the HARP Aphasia Study at NELFT. I have previously worked as a team leader in a supported living service for adults with intellectual disabilities, an assistant psychologist for Talking Therapies and an ambassador for the Stroke Association. I completed both a BSC in Psychology and an MSc in Clinical Neuropsychiatry at King’s College London. My main research interests include dementia and post-stroke disabilities including aphasia, and how modern technologies can be used in diagnosis and treatment.

Mark Allinson

Principal Investigator

Clinical Lead Speech and Language Therapist, North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT)

I am the Principal Investigator for the HARP Aphasia Study and the Clinical Lead Speech and Language Therapist at NELFT. I manage a large team working with adults with neurological disorders and we have a strong track record of service delivery innovation.

Professor Reinhold Scherer

Co-investigator

School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, University of Essex

Professor Victoria Joffe

Co-investigator

School of Health and Social Care, University of Essex

Dr Bundy Mackintosh

Co-investigator, HARP Aphasia Project

I am a psychologist and public co-applicant of the HARP Aphasia Study. I have lived experience of aphasia and professional experience in research with over 50 publications. I have worked in several institutions including Sussex, Essex, East Anglia, Open University and MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences at Cambridge. I had my stroke in 2009 and retired in 2011. I have since been able to give some lectures on anxiety and aphasia to interested people, mainly to Speech and Language Therapists. I am a member of several societies and groups, including the British Psychological Society, the British Aphasia Society and the Service User Reference Group at the University of Essex.

"Funded by" in white text on a red background, above a blue "NIHR". To the right across two lines is "National Institute for Health and Care Research" in blue.

A pair of hands typing on a laptop keyboard.

Dr Anna Caute University of Essex

Email: anna.caute@essex.ac.uk

Leila Mirza North East London NHS Foundation Trust

Email: Leila.Mirza@nelft.nhs.uk