ACQ Vol 12 no 1 2010

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ACQ Volume 12, Number 1 2010 41
than 18 years post brain-damage. Therapy programs are
not typically offered to clients who are so many years post
injury as the majority of research suggests that the first few
months are crucial for improvement (e.g., Cherney & Robey,
2001). The findings thus challenge current models of service
delivery.
The findings should be interpreted with caution. The
current study reports a number of single case studies and
included participants with a range of different aetiologies
and difficulties. It is therefore difficult to determine whether
the findings can be generalised to the wider population.
Future research could include larger sample sizes with more
homogenous presentations and etiologies. Carrying out
further single case studies using a similar approach would
also add support to the current findings.
There were also a number of limitations regarding
methodology. As only one baseline assessment was carried
out, one cannot be sure whether the improvement was due
to therapy or not. Therapy took place over a very limited
time period (5–6 sessions). It is therefore possible that if
therapy was extended, more substantial gains could have
been made. As no follow-up assessments were carried
out, we cannot determine whether the changes in reading
accuracy and psychosocial improvements were sustained
after the completion of therapy. Future research should
therefore include multiple baseline assessments, a longer
therapy phase and post therapy follow-up assessment.
Some measurements should be interpreted cautiously.
The confidence ratings were made subjectively by the
participants in the presence of the investigators. It is possible
that their presence may have influenced the participants’
response because the participants knew that the
investigators wanted them to improve in confidence.
Summary
This preliminary investigation was a first step in determining
whether a personally relevant functional reading therapy
program is effective for people with acquired reading
difficulties. The results are promising with benefits in
accuracy, comprehension, confidence, and social
participation and suggest that further research which
addresses the limitations above would be worthwhile.
Acknowledgements
The case studies were undertaken as final year undergraduate
students’ honours research projects, and the first and last
authors provided supervision throughout the research projects.
The authors would like to thank the participants and the staff
at the day centre for their support and involvement in this
project. Please contact the corresponding author for further
information about the reading and feedback questionnaires.
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1 Acquired dyslexia is a condition that commonly co-occurs
with aphasia and is characterised by the loss of a previously
possessed ability to comprehend the meaning or significance of
written words, despite intact vision. There are a range of different
types of dyslexia including pure alexia, surface dyslexia, deep
dyslexia and phonological dyslexia (Chapey & Hallowell, 2001).
2 A measure of number of years of full-time formal education a
person hypothetically requires in order to read the text (Gunning,
1952). Texts with Gunning Fog indices of 12 or less are readable
for most literate adults.
3 The Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) (McLaughlin,
1969) is a measure of readability. It calculates a grade of reading
ability using the following formula:
grade = 1.043 30 x number – of – pollysyllables + 3.129
number – of – sentences
4 Measure of readability available on Microsoft Office Word.
Dr Cocks and Dr Cruice trained and worked as speech
pathologists in Australia before moving to London in 2005 and
2002 respectively, where they now work as senior lecturers and
clinical educators at the reading clinic at City University. Information
about the reading clinic can be found at
compass/readingclinic/readingclinic.html. Niina Matthews , Joan
Gregoire-Clarke, Lisa Barnett , Ruth Middleton and Emma
Phillips graduated from City University in 2008. They now work as
speech and language therapists at various locations around the UK.