Improving the evidence base around co-speech gesture in aphasia
Purpose: When we speak, we gesture, and indeed, persons living with aphasia gesture more frequently. The reason(s) for this is still being investigated, spurring an increase in the number of studies of gesture usage by persons living with aphasia. As the number of studies increase, so too does the need for a shared set of standards and best practices for gesture research in aphasia. Here, we offer some considerations regarding best practices for future work involving gesture in persons living with aphasia. Methods & Results: First, we briefly review the importance and use of gesture in persons living with aphasia. Then, we explore several different design and methodological considerations for gesture research specific to persons living with aphasia, aiming to develop a transparent and reproducible evaluation of this important multimodal communication resource. Conclusions: We have proposed that it is critical to evaluate multimodal communication in a methodologically robust way in order to facilitate increased knowledge about the relationship of gesture to spoken language, cognition, and to other aspects of living with aphasia and recovery from aphasia. We conclude by postulating future directions for gesture research in aphasia.