Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Bowling Green State University received a $370,930 Project Grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173), awarded on May 8, 2026, with completion targeted for April 30, 2028. The grant funds an exploratory study evaluating the efficacy and feasibility of the ANCHOR (Aphasia: Nurturing Connections, Honoring Ongoing Relationships) program, a speech-language pathology intervention designed to help people with aphasia (PWA) maintain social connections with friends during acute rehabilitation stages.

The ANCHOR program consists of three hour-long, speech-language pathologist-facilitated sessions conducted jointly by individuals with aphasia and a friend, complemented by a digital platform for reinforcement of program content outside formal sessions. The intervention equips both participants with knowledge, skills, and motivation to sustain meaningful communication and mutually beneficial relationships. The study will employ a randomized trial design with an immediate treatment group (n=20 PWA and friends) and delayed treatment group (n=20 PWA and friends) to generate preliminary efficacy data using validated measurement instruments including the Measure of Skill in Supportive Conversation (MSC), addressing the documented public health concern that PWA frequently lose friendships post-onset, resulting in social isolation and downstream negative health outcomes.