Can bird-watching help stroke survivors speak again?

By Stephen Beech

Bird-watching can help patients recover from a stroke, suggests new research.

The popular pastime provides a natural, low-pressure setting that encourages communication through shared attention and curiosity, say American scientists.

Stroke survivors enrolled in the University of Montana's Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Program (ICAP) take part each summer in community- and curiosity-driven bird-related activities.

Bird researchers and speech-language experts offer healing activities under the auspices of the project.

Co-director Jenna Musick said: "The linguistic demand is low, and people can participate at whatever level they want."

The team is focused on measuring outcomes, training clinicians, and expanding the model so that similar programs can benefit stroke survivors with aphasia beyond Montana.

The partnership began in 2021 on an outdoor campus patio.

ICAP participants expressed an interest in learning more about owls as part of their rehab activities.

Owl artifacts, including preserved specimens and related materials, sparked participants' curiosity and created opportunities to practice conversation.

The activity evolved into an ongoing collaboration between Victoria Dreitz, an avian ecologist, plus Musick and professor Catherine Off, experts in stroke rehabilitation and research.

From owl artifacts to nesting hawks, Musick says the partnership has grown into an essential component of the UM birding program.

She said avian observation shows how nature experiences support communicative participation, engagement and quality of life for people with aphasia.

An acquired neurologic disorder, aphasia is usually a chronic condition that affects language and communication.

One in three stroke survivors experience aphasia and often have trouble speaking, understanding spoken language, and reading and writing.

The condition can negatively impact people's ability to participate in their communities — leading to isolation and depression, according to the study published in the journal Frontiers in Bird Science.

Off, who co-directs the project, said: "Aphasia is an identity theft.

"People with aphasia do not have intellectual challenges. They are themselves inside their own head.

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"The challenge is that their language function has changed."

She said the most effective rehabilitation strategies incorporate clinical treatment with opportunities for meaningful engagement in real life.

Off added: "Communication function doesn't improve until you want to communicate about something.

"We're out of the therapy room now.

"We're saying: Enjoy being with people, enjoy being outside and let the communication come."

Dreitz says that, perhaps surprisingly, birds are particularly well suited for that approach.

She said the Montana campus is home to many species of birds and is an ideal location to offer bird-centered experiences to on-site participants in the clinical program.

Dreitz says bird-watching in group settings supports engagement through shared attention while participating in a nature experience — both of which have been shown to improve well-being.

She said: "Birdsong and calls, bird movements and seasonal rhythms, and birds' nearly universal presence in both urban and rural areas make them both accessible and interesting.

"Birds are one of those rare things where your entry point can be anywhere — from sitting and staring out a window to mapping out a trail to see a unique species.

"You can start where you're at. What do you have in your backyard? That's what it's about."

The team says the Avian Science Center at the University of Montana's most unique collaboration is the partnership with speech-language pathology.

Musick said: "Communication challenges like aphasia often leave people feeling disconnected from former identities and activities.

"People may feel they can't return to the hobbies they once loved, but finding a new passion can create excitement and purpose."

The team supports ICAP participants through bird-centered engagement.

Stroke survivors are able to discuss what they see, ask questions, help one another use equipment and continue conversations with their families afterward.

Musick added: "They go home that night and talk to their care partners about it.

"It creates ongoing conversation."