Suma Ramesh Devanga, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Suma Ramesh Devanga, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Assistant Professor and Speech Language Pathologist

Clinical research on Collaborative Referencing Intervention (CRI)

Word finding or naming deficits are a hallmark of aphasia that persists in the chronic phase of recovery. We are drawing on distributed theories of communication that conceptualize communication as a creative and emergent accomplishment and theorize referencing (naming and pointing to things, ideas, people, and so on) as a collaborative process speakers and listeners must engage in together within specific interactions (e.g., Clark, 1992; Hanks, 1990). We have designed the collaborative referencing game as a clinical intervention situated within a rich communicative environment. Using the distributed perspective, we are studying the effects of the collaborative referencing intervention on participants’ communication, participation and confidence.

Completed work:

1. Design of a Phase-II treatment study of CRI for participants with chronic aphasia

Funding:

Marion Morse Wood Fellowship, Graduate College, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign (2016-2017) ($12,000)

  1. Devanga, S. R. (2017). Targeting Collaborative Referencing in Aphasia: Evidence from a Mixed Methods Treatment Study. Unpublished doctoral dissertation at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign. Retrieved from https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/handle/2142/97684
  2. Devanga, S. R., Sherrill, M., & Hengst, J. A. (2021). The efficacy of collaborative referencing intervention in chronic aphasia: A mixed methods study. American Journal of Speech Language Pathology, 30 (1S), 407-424. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_AJSLP-19-00108
  3. Devanga, S. R., Sherrill, M., & Hengst, J. A. (In preparation). Examining referential learning during the Collaborative Referencing Intervention (CRI) in aphasia. American Journal of Speech-language Pathology.

2. Replication of the Phase-II treatment study of CRI in participants with chronic aphasia.

Funding:

Support for Faculty Scholars Award (SFSA), Western Michigan University ($2,000) (2018-2019). PI: Suma Devanga

  1. Devanga, S. R. (In preparation). Effects of the Collaborative Referencing Intervention (CRI) on naming, conversations and psychosocial well-being in aphasia. Aphasiology.

Work in progress:

Replication and extension of CRI Phase II study for participants with chronic aphasia

Funding:

Proposal submitted to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation Clinical Research Grant ($75,000) (2021-23). PI: Suma Devanga

Targeted Goal:

Investigate the treatment efficacy of CRI by conducting a Phase-III clinical trial across multiple universities in North America