Pregledni rad

https://doi.org/10.31299/log.16.1.1

The Role of Gesture in Lexical Retrieval in People with Aphasia

Karolina Lice ; Poliklinika SUVAG Zagreb

Sažetak

One of the most common symptoms of aphasia is lexical retrieval difficulty, which is why rehabilitation research increasingly focuses on strategies and methods that may facilitate word retrieval and improve communication. One such approach is the use of gestures as part of multimodal communication.
The aim of this review paper is to identify existing gesture-based therapeutic approaches and methods in aphasia rehabilitation, to determine whether gesture-based therapies facilitate the lexical retrieval in people with aphasia, and whether they are more effective than language-based therapies. Furthermore, the aim is to examine which factors may influence the effectiveness of gesture-based therapies on lexical retrieval and whether the effects of gesture therapy generalize to untrained language tasks or communication skills.
The study was conducted as a literature review following the principles of a systematic review and PRISMA guidelines. Databases including Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar were searched, and after the selection process, 22 research studies were included in the final analysis.
The results indicate that gestures play an important facilitative and compensatory role in the communication of people with aphasia. Gesture-based therapies can improve lexical retrieval and naming, particularly when gestures are combined with verbal cues within multimodal therapeutic approaches, and they may be as effective as language-based therapies. The greatest effects were observed in individuals with nonfluent aphasia and phonological retrieval difficulties, while the effects were smaller in individuals with more pronounced semantic impairments. Therapy outcomes depend on factors such as the presence of limb apraxia, severity of aphasia, semantic processing abilities, cognitive capacities, and therapy intensity. Generalization of therapy effects to untrained words and everyday communication remains limited.
Gestures represent a valuable tool in aphasia rehabilitation, particularly when used as part of multimodal therapy programs tailored to the individual linguistic, motor, and cognitive profile of the person with aphasia.

Ključne riječi

aphasia; gesture; lexical retrieval; naming; speech-language therapy

Hrčak ID:

350388

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/350388

Datum izdavanja:

30.8.2026.

Podaci na drugim jezicima: hrvatski

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