Aphasia ID cards to help service workers understand people with aphasia
Official title: Effects of Aphasia Identification Cards on Comprehension of Aphasic Language by Unfamiliar Communication Partners
Run by University of Massachusetts, Amherst · NCT06990997 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will test whether showing service workers an aphasia identification card helps them better understand people with aphasia.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years to 59 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 160 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | University of Massachusetts, Amherst Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Springfield, Massachusetts) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | September 22, 2025 |
| Main results expected | February 28, 2027 |
| Study ends | February 28, 2027 |
| Registry record updated | August 14, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT06990997 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Ideal participants are adult (18–59) English-speaking service workers with normal or corrected vision and no history of language, hearing, intellectual, or acquired neurological disorders.
✕Probably not a fit
People with aphasia themselves, those with hearing or language disorders, and individuals outside the 18–59 age range are unlikely to gain direct benefit from participating.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This randomized controlled trial will enroll service workers who visit a single study site for a roughly two-hour session. Participants are randomly assigned to view an aphasia identification (ID) card or to a control condition with no card, then listen to sentences produced by a speaker with aphasia while their eye movements are recorded. The session also includes brief vision, hearing, and cognitive checks and a follow-up survey about the listening experience. The main outcomes are measures of comprehension accuracy and real-time language processing differences between the ID card and control groups.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the approach could make everyday interactions easier by helping service workers understand people with aphasia more accurately.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has shown aphasia ID cards can improve unfamiliar partners' knowledge, emotions, and reported communication behavior, but this trial is among the first to test whether cards improve actual language comprehension.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Adult age 18-59 * Currently employed as a service worker * Understand spoken and written English well * High school diploma or equivalency * Normal vision or corrected vision with glasses or contact lenses Exclusion Criteria: * Language disorder * Hearing impairment * Intellectual disability * History of acquired neurological disorder (e.g., stroke or moderate/severe brain injury)
Where it's running
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UMass Amherst Henry M. Thomas III Center at Springfield
Springfield, Massachusetts, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Jennifer Mack, PhD — University of Massachusetts, Amherst
- Study coordinator: Jennifer E Mack, PhD
- Email: jemack@umass.edu
- Phone: 4135458468
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.