A person with severe aphasia

1
A person with severe aphasia

• David Howard

2
GJ

• Aged 72 a LMCA infarct 4 years earlier.
• Had retired at 60. Previously a farmer, driver
  and a mechanic having left school at the age of
  13.
• A widower. Wheel-chair bound daughter lives
  nearby with her daughter.
• Has an electric wheelchair - often goes to visit
  his daughter and granddaughter in this.
• Carers come to his flat three times a day to get
  him up and give him breakfast to give him lunch
  and to get him to bed.

3
GJ

• Keen on horse racing and can get to the betting
  shop and write out a betting slip.
• Reads the newspaper every day.
• Congenitally deaf. A skilled lip-reader. Used BSL
  when he was young

4
GJ language assessment results

• Comprehension
• With spoken and written language normal (or very
  close to) with both words and sentences.
• Spoken language production
• Limited to just four words aye, no, why
  and bye, of which only the first two could be
  used consistently and appropriately.
• Effective use of gesture
• Had a Portacom, but reluctant to use it

5
GJ language assessment results

• Repetition
• 0/20 words
• 2/28 phonemes
• Naming and oral reading also impossible
• Written naming
• 17/36 (better with shorter words errors
  approximations)

6
GJ language assessment results

• Gesture
• Almost perfect in both comprehension and
  production
• Oral/verbal apraxia
• 14/19 oral movements to verbal request and 19/19
  with demonstration.
• Perfect on manual pantomime to verbal request

7
GJ language summary

• Profound articulatory apraxia
• Good comprehension
• Better writing
• Good gesture comprehension and production