Effects of mindfulness meditation on three individuals with aphasia

Abstract

Recent research has suggested that individuals with aphasia perform with decreased accuracy on attention tasks compared to non-brain-damaged individuals. While there is still debate as to the nature and source of these attention deficits, research has shown that treatment for aphasia should incorporate remediation of attention in addition to language. Mindfulness meditation (MM) has successfully improved attention in non-brain-damaged individuals. Therefore, MM was employed in 3 individuals with aphasia utilizing a single-subject design over a 9 to 13 week period. The effects of relaxation on attention as well as sense of effort were also examined. Several implications regarding future research are discussed; however, no conclusive evidence on the effects of MM can be offered based on the results of this study at this time.