The scope of Mixed Reality in Aphasia Rehabilitation (MiRAR)

Aphasia is a language disorder that results from a brain injury (e.g., stroke or traumatic brain injury, to name a few). It impedes the affected individual’s ability to communicate effectively with others using verbal language. The primary intervention for aphasia is speech-language therapy (SLT), which often entails didactic contact between the client and the therapist, frequently with little consideration for the real-world settings where the communication occurs. Providing SLT in natural settings is impractical in traditional clinical environments. In this paper, we explore the technological advances in Extended Reality (XR, such as virtual (VR), augmented (AR), and mixed (MR) realities), and propose suitable XR technology for training persons with aphasia to use their language in an ecologically valid and meaningful manner in natural communication contexts, in line with the Life Participation Approaches to Aphasia (LPAA) rehabilitation.