Sámi Aphasia and Morphology Initiative – Comprehensive Aphasia Testing

Project summary
Communication in one's own language is a fundamental right crucial for engagement. In Norway, around 4,000 people acquire aphasia annually, a language disorder impacting language comprehension and production often caused by stroke. While specific data for the Sámi population is lacking, increased stroke risks are documented. Due to linguistic and cultural challenges, many Sámi people are dissatisfied with healthcare services; studies show that Sámi individuals receive insufficient healthcare services and lack tests and materials in their own language. Despite this, no aphasia assessment exists for Sámi speakers in any country. SÁMI-CAT addresses the urgent need for aphasia assessment tools tailored for North Sámi speakers to improve healthcare access for this community through two main objectives: 1) develop linguistic resources and aphasia assessment tools for North Sámi and 2) provide a knowledge base to improve aphasia management in North Sámi communities. SÁMI-CAT is organized into four scientific work packages, each targeting specific research questions related to linguistic resources, infrastructure development, and developing culturally and linguistically appropriate aphasia tests with reliable norms. The project contributes to cross-linguistic aphasiology research and explores methodologies for norming language tests in small, multilingual populations. Challenges include limited resources for appropriate adaptations and norming tests in small populations. Overcoming these challenges requires innovative tool design and collaboration with Sámi communities to ensure proper and culturally sensitive tests. This ambitious effort extends beyond the current state of the art by creating culturally and linguistically appropriate resources for an underserved indigenous community contributing to cross-linguistic aphasia research, speech-language pathology, linguistics, and multilingualism research, impacting healthcare, welfare, language, and policy development.

Outcomes and impacts
SÁMI-CAT will adapt the CAT and develop a morphology test for North Sámi, with significant impacts. Academically, it will advance speech-language pathology (SLP) by providing validated tools for aphasia in an indigenous minority language, filling a research gap, and informing linguistic models, particularly in multilingual contexts. It will enhance understanding of North Sámi language disorders and contribute valuable linguistic material for related projects. Societally, the project will improve healthcare for the Sámi population by providing aphasia tools, supporting equitable access to healthcare, and aligning with international health equity goals. It seeks to integrate Sámi into public services. In the long term, it could serve as a model for other minority languages, promoting linguistic diversity and health equity. SÁMI-CAT includes master's scholarships and a Ph.D. position to train professionals in Sámi linguistics and SLP, building Sámi speaking expertise in the field.

Funding: Research Council of Norway

Grant amount 12MNOK