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Treatment of a case of phonological alexia with agraphia using the Auditory Discrimination in Depth (ADD) Program

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 November 1998

TIM W. CONWAY
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL The Morris Center, Gainesville, FL
PATRICIA HEILMAN
Affiliation:
The Morris Center, Gainesville, FL
LESLIE J.G. ROTHI
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Gainesville, FL
ANN W. ALEXANDER
Affiliation:
The Morris Center, Gainesville, FL
JOHN ADAIR
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM
BRUCE A. CROSSON
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
KENNETH M. HEILMAN
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Gainesville, FL

Abstract

Phonological alexia and agraphia are acquired disorders characterized by an impaired ability to convert graphemes to phonemes (alexia) or phonemes to graphemes (agraphia). These disorders result in phonological errors typified by adding, omitting, shifting, or repeating phonemes in words during reading or graphemes when spelling. In developmental dyslexia, similar phonological errors are believed to result from deficient phonological awareness, an oral language skill that manifests itself in the ability to notice, think about, or manipulate the individual sounds in words. The Auditory Discrimination in Depth (ADD) program has been reported to train phonological awareness in developmental dyslexia and dysgraphia. We used a multiple-probe design to evaluate the ADD program's effectiveness with a patient with a mild phonological alexia and mixed agraphia following a left hemisphere infarction. Large gains in phonological awareness, reading and spelling nonwords, and reading and spelling real words were demonstrated. A follow-up reassessment, 2 months posttreatment, found the patient had maintained treatment gains in phonological awareness and reading, and attained additional improvement in real word reading. (JINS, 1998, 4, 608–620.)

Type
THEMATIC ARTICLES
Copyright
© 1998 The International Neuropsychological Society

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