You’re having a great conversation with a loved one, and narrating the events of your day so far, but you get stuck in the middle of your discussion. You remember having a nice meal, yet you can’t quite remember or find the name of the meal. You can describe it, you know the kind of food it is, but you just can’t place your finger on the name. However, with some prompting and cues, you blurt it out – Lasagna!

You have probably experienced this a few times, and that is normal, especially when you’re stressed, anxious, or even sleep-deprived. Unfortunately, people with aphasia struggle with this every day. Word-naming difficulty is one of the major symptoms of aphasia. This is often due to damage to the language processing area of the brain, located in the left hemisphere, following a stroke or any other brain injury. If you experience this, your healthcare provider may recommend different treatments, including semantic feature analysis. This article explores semantic feature analysis, how it works, who it is for, and the benefits.

Key Takeaways

• Semantic feature analysis is a common word retrieval therapy technique
• It is mainly used to improve word-naming by improving semantic connections.
• Semantic feature analysis involves a 4-step process that is repeatedly conducted to improve daily communication.
• Some of the major benefits of semantic feature analysis include effective generalization, increased word-naming accuracy, and better communication.

Table of Contents

What is Semantic Feature Analysis?

How is it done?

What are the Benefits of Semantic Feature Analysis?

Conclusion

What is Semantic Feature Analysis?

Semantic feature analysis is a word retrieval therapy technique that aims to improve word-naming by activating semantic networks in the brain. (1) The human brain has the capacity to extract and store knowledge from our experiences. It learns, stores, and links functions, sounds, smells, colors, shapes, etc, with objects and even actions within our environment, and these define our understanding of words. Basically, the brain stores words and long-term memory by describing, categorizing, and labelling knowledge gained from experiences to aid word-retrieval and understanding.

For instance, when you see and eat an apple, you know it is red or green or yellow, round, plucked from a tree, sweet, and a fruit. Your brain stores these details – color, taste, and shape and connects them to the target item (apple), so that when it is described or when you see it again, you can easily remember it. This is how semantic networks or connections work. (2)

Semantic feature analysis simply helps you to remember words by asking descriptive questions systematically. It is most effective for individuals with mild to moderate aphasia and fluent aphasia. (3)

Goals Of Semantic Feature Analysis: What Are Your Expectations?

This structured and evidence-based language therapy is usually carried out or guided by a speech language pathologist (SLP). Although the ultimate goal is to improve speech and language skills, here are some of the major goals of semantic feature therapy.

1. Improve semantic mapping: Semantic feature analysis aims to improve the connection between words and their descriptive features in the brain. It achieves this by providing you with visual and verbal cues using features of certain words.
2. Teaching individuals to self-cue: It achieves this through consistent question-and-answer sessions about the features of specific words. With time, it reinforces the process of talking about the features of words and connecting them. This way, you can apply this strategy to words outside therapy to improve communication.

How Is It Done?

SFA involves 4 simple steps done using a graphic organizer or chart that contains discrete semantic features such as physical properties, use, action, category, and location.

Step #1

Your speech language pathologist will place the picture of the target word at the center of the chart or graphic organizer. Sometimes, the clinician can request a picture of an object at home from you or a family member to make the process easier.

Photocredit: Aptus

Step #2

You will be asked to name the object in the picture. If it’s a virtual chart or graphics organizer, pictures of items can be taken at home or downloaded. Whether you’re able to produce the name of the object or not, your therapist will move to the next stage.

Step #3

Next, your therapist will read out the printed prompts or cues of the features and allow you to answer. As you do so, they will write down your answers.

These questions often vary based on the word or target item. However, some common questions include.

Nouns

• Use/Function: What do you use it for/What do you do with it?
• Location: Where is it found?
• Action: What does it do?
• Properties/Physical features: What shape is it?/What is the color?/Is it big or small?/How does it taste?
• Association: What does it remind you of?
• Category/group: What type of thing is it?/ What group does it belong to?

Verbs

• Location: Where is this done?/Where does it happen?
• Subject/Agent of the experience: Who does this?/On whom is this performed?
• Purpose: Why is it done?/Why does it happen?
• How: How is it done?/What tool do you use to do it?
• Association: What does this make you think of?/What does this remind you of?

Step #4

After answering these questions, your therapist will ask you to name the target item again. If you can’t, your therapist will name it and ask you to repeat the word or write it down.

If you were unable to answer the questions, the SLP will also provide the cues and review them out loud. You may also be asked to create a simple sentence using the target word. You will repeat this process with the target word and other specific items until you learn to do it yourself and apply it to real-life settings to improve communication.

This process helps with semantic mapping, allowing you to produce the word while strengthening the word and feature connections in your brain.

What are the Benefits of Semantic Feature Analysis?

Several speech language pathologists use semantic feature analysis for aphasia due to the research-proven benefits it offers. Here are some of the benefits you can get from an SFA.

1. Better word-naming accuracy: With consistent practice, you become better at retrieving or finding the right words when communicating, whether you have trained with them or not. This is due to the activated semantic networks.
2. Improved communication: As you get better with word-retrieval, your sentences become more coherent and complete, thereby improving your conversations and communication.
3. Effective generalization effect: During therapy, your speech language therapist will introduce different types of words, ranging from nouns to verbs, and abstract concepts to activate more semantic networks. This improves generalization – your ability to use this strategy in real-life settings, outside the structured therapy setting. (4)

Applying Semantic Feature Analysis to Real-life Settings

Whether you live with aphasia or have a loved one with aphasia, using semantic feature analysis in daily life can significantly improve conversations and make it easier for them to communicate independently. Here are a few ways semantic feature analysis can be incorporated into daily life.

Personal improvements

• Practice this strategy by yourself and try to form sentences when you’re successful
• Practice with friends or family. You can describe the semantic features and allow them to guess.
• Try group semantic feature analysis with others who are struggling with aphasia or join support groups.
• Take it one step at a time and stay consistent with practice.

Helping a loved one

• If you notice some with aphasia struggling to retrieve a word, gently prompt them by asking simple questions like “What is it used for?” or “Can you describe it?”
• Participate in therapy sessions to show support and learn how you can make communication easier for them.
• Don’t try to name the words for them; instead, help them find the right words with cues.

Conclusion

Although there are several treatment options for aphasia, semantic feature analysis is an effective and evidence-based treatment option that several therapists recommend, albeit in combination with other options. It may be conducted using physical charts or virtually through apps or softwares. Regardless of the means, staying consistent and embracing support can facilitate your recovery.

Constant therapy provides adaptable and accessible means to combine your semantic feature analysis with other individualized treatment exercises and treatment that improve your daily communications. Try out our demo for free here!

Written by: Dr. Ori Otokpa, MBBS

Medically Reviewed by: Dr. Danielle Kelvas, MD

References

1. Davis, L. A., & Stanton, S. T. (2005). Semantic feature analysis as a functional therapy tool. Contemporary Issues in Communication Science and Disorders, 32(Fall), 85–92. https://doi.org/10.1044/cicsd_32_f_85
2. Zhang, Y., Han, K., Worth, R., & Liu, Z. (2020b). Connecting concepts in the brain by mapping cortical representations of semantic relations. Nature Communications, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-15804-w
3. Maddy, K., Capilouto, G., & McComas, K. (2014). The effectiveness of semantic feature analysis: An evidence-based systematic review. Annals of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, 57(4), 254–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rehab.2014.03.002
4. Semantic feature analysis treatment for anomia in two fluent aphasia syndromes. (2004). PubMed. https://doi.org/10.1044/1058-0360(2004/025