Transcortical sensory aphasia
[citation needed] Speech therapy methods for patients with any subtype of aphasia are based on the principles of learning and neuroplasticity.
Clinical research on TSA is limited because it occurs so infrequently in patients with aphasia that it is very difficult to perform systematic studies.
[citation needed] TSA should not be confused with transcortical motor aphasia (TMA), which is characterized by nonfluent speech output, with good comprehension and repetition.
This disconnect occurs since Wernicke’s area is not damaged in patients with TSA, therefore repetition is spared while comprehension is affected.
In addition to problems in comprehension, transcortical sensory aphasia is further characterized based on deficits in naming and paraphasia.
[3] Impaired verbal comprehension can be the result a number of causes such as failure of speech sound discrimination, word recognition, auditory working memory, or syntactic structure building.
Commands involving the passive voice or possessive, e.g. "If the snake killed the mouse, which one is still alive," usually result in comprehension problems in those who can understand simple questions.
Several modalities of perception and response are observed in conjunction with the subject’s ability to process sensory information.
Differences in cognition between asymptomatic subjects and affected patients can be observed via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
[citation needed] Due to advances in modern neuroimaging, scientists have been able to gain a better understanding of how language is learned and comprehended.
These techniques utilize three general principles: maximizing therapy occurrences, ensuring behavioral and communicative relevance, and allowing patients to focus on the language tools that are still available in his or her repertoire.
[citation needed] Many of the following treatment techniques are used to improve auditory comprehension in patients with aphasia: A relatively new method of language therapy involves coincidence learning.
[11] Through careful analysis of neuroimaging studies, a correlation has been developed with motor function and the understanding of action verbs.
[citation needed] The patient should be pushed to their limits of verbal communication in order for them to practice and build upon their remaining language skills.
[citation needed] Furthermore, the patient must collaborate with friends and family members during their free time in order to maximize the efficacy of the treatment.
