Recovery process in Acquired Childhood Aphasia : An analysis using the regularized scale of the Standard Language Test of Aphasia (SLTA)

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors using objective methods relation to the improvement, recovery process and the mechanism of the disorder of acquired childhood aphasia ACA with the localized lesions of the brain. We use the regularized scale of the Standard Language Test of Aphasia SLTA as an index. Eight ACA patients with localized lesions of the posterior part of the left brain were compared with adult aphasic patients with almost same lesions about the recovery level and process. As results, ACA patients with cerebro vascular artery disease and trauma showed higher recovery level than those with infection. In three factors result from factor analysis, comprehension improved at first, then speech, and writing improved. Patients with ACA showed faster and higher recovery level than adult aphasics. Though the recovery level is high, the improvement was limited, and the scores of oral commands, sentence repetition, and Kanji writing were significantly lower than those of controls as well as the adult aphasic patients. The data from another cognitive neuropsychological tests suggest the possibility that the phonological and semantic disorder is likely to affect the limited improvement.