Speech & Writing (expressive language)
Word-retrieval at the letter or
word level (Aphasia )
Example:
Patient may have difficulty naming everyday objects ("I.... thirsty...
cold cubes." instead of "I'm thirsty, I want water with ice."
Test:
point to 10 common objects. Can the patient say all 10 in 1 minute?
Can they spell out (with pencil or letter tiles) all 10 in 5 minutes? Any
difficulty with either task suggests possible word-retrieval difficulty.
Word-retrieval (speech) at sentence level
Aphasia )
Example:
The patient has difficulty speaking in complete, grammatical sentences.
Might speak in telegraphic speech ("I hungry. Go store. Eat."
Test:
Point to a picture of some action (maybe a man throwing a ball) and see
if they can describe it in a complete sentence.) Ask them a question
("What did you eat today?") and have them answer in a complete
sentence (" I ate waffles this morning")?
Speech clarity/articulation (Apraxia, Dysarthria) Patient's speech is not not clear (difficult to understand) even
when reading aloud.
Example:
May have difficulty clearly
speaking the word for common objects (spoon, fork, glass). They might
even have difficulty reading words aloud, or repeating the word back
after you say it.
Test :
Ask the patient to speak the name of each of 10 things you point to. Can
they say them clearly? Can they read the words aloud clearly?
Speaking
too quickly or slowly (Dysarthria)
Might have dysarthria (weakness or discoordination of the mouth
muscles.)
Example:
Speech might be slurred. May "run
out of" breath while speaking, or speak too softly. Test : If you can make them speak more slowly
(maybe one word at a time), is it easier to understand them?
Speaking numbers clearly (Aphasia, Apraxia) Difficulty reading numbers out loud clearly.
Test :
Have them read aloud some numbers such as: 3468 or $2,345.52
or a phone number (540) 951-0623. Try this 5 or 10 times. If they get any
digit wrong, they need help with this.
Voice therapy (Dysphonia, etc.) Difficulty
controlling the pitch and loudness of the voice.
This is therapy for the voice , not
for speech .
Example:
Difficulty with controlling pitch
or loudness of their voice.
Reading Comprehension - Receptive Aphasia
Difficulty reading words
Example:
Difficulty matching written words to pictures.
Difficulty reading sentences .
Example:
Difficulty matching written sentences
to pictures.
Difficulty reading at paragraph level and
higher
Example: Give
them a paragraph to read with a written question and several written answer.
Try that 4 or 5 times. If they get the right answer every time they are
probably reading at that level fairly well. Try at higher levels (multiple
paragraphs and then maybe a full story from a newspaper).
Auditory Processing & Comprehension
Understanding speech they hear.
Example:
They may have trouble understanding
someone speaking to them. Might have difficulty comprehending
and following spoken instructions.
Test :
As them to point to the utensil you eat with that is not a fork or
a knife (and show them a place setting with fork, knife, spoon, plate,
glass). Then ask them to point to the utensil you'd need to eat a steak
(knife).
Understanding spoken instructions
Example:
Need to work on understanding someone
saying "Put the large square to the left of the small green circle"
(or something harder: 2 or 3 step instructions, or easier "Select the
square")
Test :
Ask them to point to several objects around the room in order: "Point
to the floor, then the ceiling, then me, then my head".
Memory & Reasoning (cognition )
Short-term memory They have difficulty remembering
instructions, something you just told them, etc.
Example:
If you ask them to put the glass on
the table and get a napkin out of the drawer, they have difficulty completing
that task.
Understanding word relationships -Cognition They have difficulty understanding how words relate to each other.
Example:
They might not realize which word
doesn't belong in the following: Egg, Cheese, Rock, Ice-cream. Or,
if you give them a group (Horse, chicken, mule, they might have difficulty
naming the category (farm animals))
Problem-solving
Example:
Solving simple problems such as following
cooking recipes or TV schedules, or understanding traffic signs.
