Aphasia is a speech disorder usually caused by stroke or head injury (Armstrong, 1993). Related communication difficulties can include word finding, speaking, listening, writing, and using numbers (FAST, 2004). It is most commonly acquired by people at middle age or older, as a result of stroke or other brain injury. Speech and language therapy is “the process of enabling people to communicate to the best of their ability” (RCSLT, 2004). Treatment, advice, and support are provided based on assessment and monitoring activities that conventionally are carried out in face-to-face sessions. This chapter considers issues in providing technology to continue to support aphasic patients between therapy sessions, through multimedia applications for drill-and-practice in vocalizing speech sounds. Existing paper therapy aids are generally designed to be used under the guidance of a therapist. Multimedia applications enable people with aphasia to practise spoken language skills independently between sessions, and mobile multimedia speech and language therapy devices offer still greater promise for blending treatment and support into an aphasic person’s daily life.
