Program Components

We will complete a thorough assessment of your speech and language skills during the first two to three days of the program session. 

Some clients come to the office for a separate evaluation prior to enrolling, but it is not required. We request medical records prior to admission, particularly speech and language reports and progress notes.

The results of the evaluation, in conjunction with reports from previous therapy and input from the client and carepartner(s), provide us with information on the client’s speech and language strengths and challenges. This helps us to develop a personalized communication profile and establish an individualized treatment plan with functional goals and objectives.

One-on-one therapy is designed to target specific goals, which are developed from baseline testing and conversations with you and your family. For example, if you are a real estate agent and you would like to work on language skills that are related to your job, we can set specific goals and work with your level of abilities to move along that path. Individual therapy will include use of technology as appropriate.

Individual sessions use a variety of communication strategies. While each client has a primary speech-language pathologist they work with, you will also work with other therapists during your time at UMAP. Our clients and their family members have consistently noted that this team approach is one of the strengths of the program.

Individual therapy targets:

• Listening
• Speaking
• Reading
• Writing
• Memory
• Cognition
• Multimodal communication
• Technology to support and/or improve communication

Learn strategies to enhance verbal skills, such as:

• Drawing
• Gesturing
• Using a mobile device or tablet
• Writing
• Using a personalized communication book or picture dictionary

Care partners are always encouraged to participate in individual therapy.

At first, it can seem daunting to have to communicate in a group when experiencing language difficulties, but we have found the communication group component to be one of the most popular aspects of our program.

Even among those who are reluctant at first, re-learning communication skills and exploring new ones in a supportive atmosphere among peers leads to improved self-confidence and growing hope. Clients encourage each other to try new ways of communicating and reinforce each other’s successes. Behaviors learned in individual therapy are put to use in a naturalistic, supportive, and dynamic context in the group therapy sessions.

Groups are based on client interests and may include:

• Travel
• Emergency Preparedness
• Cooking
• Sports
• Use of Supportive Technology and Multimodal Communication
• Aphasia Advocacy

Part of what makes our program special is the carepartner component. We want to make sure both carepartner and clients are taken care of while working through the intensive program and beyond. Carepartners play an important role in the recovery process. While clients are hard at work in therapy, carepartners are also hard at work learning more about aphasia and how to adjust.

UMAP Carepartner Education and Support

Education Sessions

U-M Aphasia Program clinicians conduct educational workshops for care partners once per week throughout the session. They cover such topics as:

• Why intensive therapy?
• Creating your intensive therapy schedule back home
• What is aphasia?
• Using technology to aid communication

Caregivers are also encouraged to attend designated therapy sessions to learn how to effectively communicate with their person with aphasia. Your clinical team can talk to you about which sessions might be best.

Aphasia Carepartner Group Meetings

UMAP also offers a series of group meetings for care partners. “Care partners” can include family members, friends, professional caregivers or aides, or anyone else who is present in support of a UMAP participant.

The purpose of these meetings is to provide information, share resources and strategies, and to offer opportunities for asking questions, sharing concerns, and discussing challenges as well as triumphs, with both UMAP clinicians and other care-partners. Topics include (but are not limited to):

• Different modes of communication like verbal, non-verbal, etc.
• Types of language, such as receptive and expressive, oral and written, etc.
• Types of aphasia
• Motor speech disorders such as Apraxia and Dysarthria
• Cognition and aphasia
• Other difficulties that may influence treatment and recovery
• Speech-language therapy approaches
• Supported conversation techniques
• How to carry-over skills to daily life
• Common caregiver challenges, questions, and concerns
• Research outcomes and updates
• Digital and print resources
• Care-partner experiences and how to deal with things like stress
• Aphasia advocacy

Learn More: Carepartner Resources

At the end of each session, we host a lunch to celebrate the progress of all of our clients. As the session comes to a close, our clinicians work with you and your loved ones to determine next steps of care, how to continue progress at home, and resources that may be of help to you.

We become quite connected with our clients and love to stay in touch. If you or your loved one has questions following your session, please contact us.

We also have many repeat clients who decide to remain or return for additional sessions. We also offer teletherapy for carryover after you go home. If you are interested in continuing your care with UMAP, let us know before you leave or give us a call to talk about your options.

The U-M Aphasia Program (UMAP) offers teletherapy services — therapy offered via a secure online connection. 

Teletherapy is conducted similarly to our in-house therapy sessions. Licensed Speech-Language Pathologists administer therapy and tailor their approach to each client’s individual needs — but without the client having to leave home. A teletherapy client needs access to a computer with an internet connection, a camera, and a speaker to participate.

Locations and Options

We are currently licensed to offer teletherapy in several states, including California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin, with other state licensing in process.

To learn more, visit the UMAP Teletherapy page.

For more information or questions, contact the University of Michigan Aphasia Program at (734) 764-8440 or email at UCLL@umich.edu.