Profiles Of Language Impairment Research Articles

Associative learning in people with aphasia: exploring spacing of practice as a potential facilitator

ABSTRACT Background It remains controversial whether the reduction in associative learning ability previously reported among people with aphasia is specific to linguistic learning or whether the difficulty lies in the formation of new associative learning. Furthermore, an effective associative learning approach that benefits people with aphasia with different profiles of language impairment and levels of severity is yet to be identified. Aims This study investigates associative learning within linguistic and non-linguistic domains, contrasting the performance of people with aphasia (n = 11) and two groups of control participants [young (n = 18) and old (n = 18)] to identify if, for people with aphasia, reduced associative learning occurs across domains or is specific to the linguistic domain. In addition, the effect of massed and spaced practice is examined to explore potential facilitative learning approaches for people with aphasia. Methods and procedures Learning of linguistic (word-pairs) and non-linguistic (picture-pairs) material took place separately but follow the same procedures. The study involves pair-association learning, with a study phase (involving massed and spaced practice) followed by an immediate cued recall task to assess learning outcomes. Retention of learning was assessed 2 days post-study, with a delayed recognition task and a delayed cued recall task. Outcomes and results The findings show that, in cued-recall tasks, despite an overall reduced performance among people with aphasia, patterns of learning largely mirrored the control participants. Word-pairs were better retained than picture-pairs with spaced practice producing better results than massed in both learning conditions. Conclusion This study advances our understanding of how people with aphasia learn new associations and, regardless of language impairment, associative learning can be facilitated by spaced practice. The findings of the current study highlight the potential importance of adopting spaced practice in clinical settings to maximise outcomes of therapy sessions.

Linguistic and Nonverbal Abilities over Time in a Child Case of 22q11 Deletion Syndrome

The aim of this study is to profile the cognitive–linguistic performance of a male child (P.I.) with 22q11 deletion syndrome (22q11DS). Specifically, receptive and expressive language performance and nonverbal IQ (NVIQ) are described at two different time points—when P.I. was 6 and 10 years of age, respectively. Using case-based methodology, P.I.’s NVIQ and performance on global and structured language tasks are compared to typically developing children of the same chronological age and school-aged children with specific language impairment (SLI). The results show no improvement in NVIQ or vocabulary, but his morphosyntactic abilities did improve over time. The findings are discussed in relation to two hypotheses, either that the profile of language impairment in children with 22q11DS is distinctive to the syndrome or that there is co-morbidity with SLI. This is particularly important for speech–language therapists who have a primary role in diagnosing communication deficits and providing treatment.

Profiles of language impairment in progressive nonfluent aphasia

<b>Objective:</b> To study language in noncaucasian patients with progressive nonfluent aphasia (PNA). To determine differences in the language impairment in PNA patients with and without early onset behavioral changes. <b> Materials and Methods:</b> Based on clinical evaluation, six PNA patients were divided into those <i> with </i> (<i> EB</i> , <i> n</i> =2) and <i> without </i> (<i> NB</i> , <i> n</i> =4) <i> early </i> onset (i.e., within 24 months from onset) <i> behavioural </i> symptoms of frontotemporal dementia (FTD). <i> NB </i> was sub-grouped as <i> Moderate </i> (language plus subtle cognitive dysfunction; <i> n</i> =2) and Mild (isolated language dysfunction; <i> n</i> =2). Language on the western aphasia battery (WAB) of <i> NB </i> was compared with that of <i> EB </i> and of the three groups were compared with that of controls. Clinical follow-up ranged between 24 and 60 months from onset. <b> Results:</b> Three categories were matched for the disease duration. Compared to controls, significantly <i> (P</i> <0.05) lower scores were seen for all three groups on WAB fluency, repetition and writing; for the <i> Moderate </i> and <i> EB </i> on reading, naming and comprehension; and for the <i> EB </i> alone on information content. Information content and comprehension were significantly lower for the <i> EB </i> when compared to the <i> NB. </i> Over comparable periods, the aphasia quotient of patients in <i> EB </i> declined by more than 30 points and in the <i> Moderate </i> by 3 points. <b> Conclusions:</b> PNA frequently shows behavioral features suggestive of FTD early in the course of the illness. Poor information content on WAB differentiates patients with early behavioral dysfunction from those without. The extent of language impairment is a function of the disease stage rather than of disease duration, suggesting thereby that the initial 2 years of relatively isolated language disorder criteria, while useful, may exclude some patients with PNA.

Primary progressive aphasia: A comparative study of progressive nonfluent aphasia and semantic dementia

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA), a degenerative disorder, is often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's disease. Its subtypes, semantic dementia (SD), and progressive nonfluent aphasia (PNFA), are often difficult to differentiate from each other. Our objective was to highlight the differences in the language profiles of patients with SD and PNFA. To bring out these differences, we report two patients with PPA, one with SD and the other with PNFA. They were administered the Western aphasia battery (WAB) and a semantic battery, which assesses semantic memory. The profiles of language impairment on the WAB indicated that the patient with PNFA had syntactic errors in expressive speech but relatively preserved semantics and comprehension, whereas the patient with SD had preserved syntax but made semantic errors in expressive speech, and had impaired comprehension. There were differences in their performance on the semantic battery too. The patient with SD made relatively less errors on confrontation naming, although on the pointing task he failed to point to those line drawings, which he was unable to name on confrontation. In contrast, the finding of the PNFA patient was the reverse of this. Supplementing conventional neuropsychological tests with formal tests for assessment of language functions is useful in the early diagnosis of PPA. The performance of PPA patients on a detailed assessment of language that includes use of formal tests such as the semantic battery helps to differentiate PNFA from SD.

Clinicopathologic Case Report: Progressive Aphasia in a 77-Year-Old Man

Clinicopathologic Case Report: Progressive Aphasia in a 77-Year-Old Man

Profiles of language impairment in primary progressive aphasia

Profiles of language impairment in primary progressive aphasia

Profiles of Language Impairment in Primary Progressive Aphasia

The profile of language impairment in patients with primary progressive aphasia in comparison with the language impairment in patients with Alzheimer's disease and after stroke. The Western Aphasia Battery and the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale evaluated the language and cognitive impairment. Follow-up studies were done 1 to 5 years after the initial testing in seven of 10 patients with primary progressive aphasia, and a postmortem examination of the brain was done in two patients. All 10 patients with primary progressive aphasia were previously healthy, community-dwelling persons when first tested. All patients with primary progressive aphasia reported at least a 2-year history of slowly progressive aphasia without other signs of global dementia. The initial Western Aphasia Battery results of the 10 patients with primary progressive aphasia were compared with those of a sample of 10 patients with probable Alzheimer's disease and with those of a sample of 10 patients with aphasia due to a left hemispheric stroke. Both reference samples were matched for age and sex; the sample with stroke-caused aphasia was additionally matched for the aphasia type. Expressive language disability with reduced speech fluency and anomia but preserved language comprehension and nonverbal cognition were typical features in early stages of primary progressive aphasia. Spontaneous speech was significantly more impaired in patients with primary progressive aphasia in comparison with those with aphasia after left hemisphere stroke and with language impairment in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Follow-up examinations revealed continuous, often rapid deterioration of language impairment. The neuropathological examination showed Alzheimer's disease in one patient and Pick's disease in the other. The profile of aphasia suggests that primary progressive aphasia tends to affect anterior parts of the language-dominant cortex first.