N/A
N=17
Assessing an Animal-Assisted Treatment Program for Adults With Aphasia: The Persons With Aphasia Training Dogs Program
Aphasia
Bottom Line
View on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04610346 ↗Enrolled (actual)
17
Serious AEs
0.0%
Results posted
Oct 2025
Primary outcome: Primary: Assessment of Living With Aphasia (ALA, Kagan et al., 2010) — 2.67; 2.33; 2.68; 2.43 units on a scale
Study Design & Population
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- N/A
- Interventions
- Persons with Aphasia Training Dogs Program (Behavioral)
- Age
- Adult, Older Adult · 21+ yrs
- Sex
- All
- Sponsor
- Albert Einstein Healthcare Network
- Primary completion
- Aug 2024
Outcome Measures
| Outcome | Result | p-value |
|---|---|---|
| PRIMARY Assessment of Living With Aphasia (ALA, Kagan et al., 2010) |
2.67; 2.33; 2.68; 2.43 | — |
| PRIMARY PI-adapted Version of Pet Partners Animal-handler Evaluation. |
8.8; 5.3; 9.2; 8 | — |
| SECONDARY The Confidence After Stroke Measure (Horne et al., 2017) |
47.7; 55.67; 49.4; 51.3 | — |
| SECONDARY Behavioural Assessment of Dysexecutive Syndrome (BADS) (Wilson et al., 1996) |
14.22; 16.7; 15.3; 17.3 | — |
Summary
The lives of more than 2 million Americans are affected by aphasia, an acquired language impairment most commonly resulting from stroke that affects the ability to remember and express words. The well-being of these individuals is affected not just by the loss of words that is aphasia, but also the loss of friendships and opportunities for community engagement in which the loss of words can result. This study evaluates an animal-assisted treatment, The Persons with Aphasia Training Dogs (PATD) Program, designed to target the psychosocial consequences of aphasia by training participants in positive reinforcement dog training techniques that harness new skill learning and the advantages of interaction with family- or shelter-dwelling dogs to increase confidence and social engagement to support participants in living well with aphasia.
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- Clinical diagnosis of aphasia acquired as the result of cerebro-vascular accident (CVA)
- English as a native or primary language
- Evidence of linguistic and cognitive capacity to understand the research requirements
- Willingness and stamina to participate in the protocol
- Lives within 1 hour driving distance to MRRI (50 Township Line Rd, Elkins Park, PA 19027 and (as appropriate) PSPCA HQ (350 E. Erie Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19134
Exclusion Criteria
- Diagnosis of neurological injury or disease other than CVA
Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04610346). Outcome figures and adverse-event rates are extracted automatically from the registry's posted results and are provided for clinician reference, not as a substitute for the primary publication.