eSANA: revealing and improving AAC use after stroke for aphasia
Official title: eSANA: exploration of Sub-acute AAC Needs for Aphasia
Funded at University of South Florida · NIH-11454006 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A project to explore how people with aphasia after a stroke can best use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) during early rehabilitation.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of South Florida NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Tampa, United States) |
| Project start | September 18, 2026 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $451,870 |
| NIH project number | 1R21DC022430-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11454006 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults who have aphasia following a stroke and are in the sub-acute recovery phase (less than 6 months post-stroke) in inpatient or early rehab settings.
✕Less likely to help
People without aphasia or those outside the sub-acute post-stroke window may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project focuses on people who have aphasia after a stroke and looks at how AAC tools can be introduced during the first months of recovery. It uses real-world settings and frameworks to understand what helps or hinders AAC adoption and how it affects communication with healthcare providers. By engaging speech-language pathologists and patients, the study aims to identify practical steps to integrate AAC into inpatient and early rehabilitation care. The goal is to reduce communication barriers and support informed decision-making for patients and their families.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could make AAC more accessible in early recovery, improving communication, decision-making, and overall care for people with aphasia.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research suggests AAC can aid communication across aphasia types, but real-world integration in early rehab remains limited and promising.
Where this research is happening
-
University of South Florida
Tampa, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dietz, Aimee — University of South Florida
- Study coordinator: Dietz, Aimee
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Communication Bridge: Improving language therapy for people with primary progressive aphasia
A proven language-therapy program called Communication Bridge helps people with primary progressive aphasia improve and maintain how they communicate with others.
-
Neural signals linked to recovery from aphasia after stroke
This grant follows people who recently had a stroke and aphasia to understand why some recover language abilities better than others.
-
Bilingualism and language resilience in Hispanic people with primary progressive aphasia
Researchers compare different bilingual experiences to see how they relate to language decline and thinking skills in Hispanic adults with primary progressive aphasia.
-
Functional reorganization of language and general brain networks in aphasia
This project studies how language areas and general brain networks work together to help people recover language after a stroke, by looking at brain activity and responses to language tasks.
-
Cortical Organization of Syntax in Aphasia
A patient-facing study to understand how brain injury affects sentence structure and help people with aphasia communicate more clearly.
-
Music-based intervention to help people with aphasia recover language and thinking skills after stroke
A Purdue-led study tests whether listening to music can help adults with aphasia after a stroke improve language and thinking abilities.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.