Assessing Language

Question 1

Steps to assess include:

Answer 1

review medical records
pt and family interview
bedside screening (if appropriate)
Standardized testing
Informal Assessment
Testing should be individualized

Question 2

Comprehensive Tests

Answer 2

MTDD
PICA
BDAE
WAB

Question 3

How to assess Auditory Comprehension

Answer 3

all comprehensive test asses auditory comprehension

Single Word Comprehension

Question 4

Variables that may affect brain -injured adults’ single word comprehension (5)

Answer 4

frequency of occurrence
semantic or acoustic similarity between words
part of speech
referent ambiguity-if pictures used are ambiguous and pts may not be able to figure out what it is
fidelity-how easy it is to hear spoken language

Question 5

How to assess Sentence Auditory Comprehension

Answer 5

Included in all language test for aphasia. usually require pt to follow a command and can also be yes/no questions
Token Test

Question 6

Variables that may affect brain-injured adults sentence comprehension (12)

Answer 6

length and complexity of sentence
active sentences easier than passive
negative sentences are difficult
embedded clauses are difficult
reversibility and plausibility
Predictability- when the expectations aren't followed
Personal relevance
Semantic variables
Reasoning and inferences are difficult
Rate
Redundancy
# of response choices and their similarity

Question 7

How to assess Comprehension of Spoken Discourse

Answer 7

Test batteries may assess by having clinician read outloud a paragraph and then ask questions about it
Discourse Comprehension Test

Question 8

Variables that may affect a brain-injured adults’ spoken discourse comprehension (7)

Answer 8

Salience- do the main ideas stand out
Directness- more direct info as opposed to inferred info
Redundancy
Cohesion and coherence
Speech rate
Empathetic Stress

Question 9

Cohesion and coherence

Answer 9

Cohesion- degree to which semantic units related to each other
Coherence- overall unity of discourse

Question 10

How to Assess Reading

Answer 10

All standardized test assess reading in various ways
visual matching
oral reading of printed words/sentences
match printed words to pictures/objects

Question 11

How to assess Comprehension of Printed Sentences

Answer 11

may be a yes/no questions
sentence completion tasks
instructions for doing something

Question 12

How to assess Comprehension of Printed Texts

Answer 12

assessed through the pt reading a paragraph and selecting phrases to complete it.

Question 13

Free-standing test of reading comprehension

Answer 13

• Reading Comprehension Battery for Aphasia
• Reading tests for Non-Brain-Injured Adults and Children **clinician may want to use reading test that weren’t developed for brain -injured to get more information

Question 14

Assessing Reading and Rate and Capacity

Answer 14

Reading test usually have a time limit and norms. Reading rate gives information as to how much the pt can read and understand under normal time constraints and allows comparison to normal readers

Question 15

How to measure Competent Skills

Answer 15

symbol to sound correspondence, following directions, getting main ideas

Question 16

Variables affecting a reading test format

Answer 16

tests with answer sheets in which you have to remember the # and put it on another sheet are difficult

Question 17

How to assess Speech Production

Answer 17

done in all standardized tests
recitations, rhymes and automated sequences
sentence completion
speech repetition

Question 18

How to Assess Naming

Answer 18

Assessed in all standardized tests
confrontational naming
response naming
generative (category) naming

Question 19

Free standing tests of naming

Answer 19

Word Fluency Naming

Boston Naming Test

Question 20

Variables that affect Naming

Answer 20

Frequency of Occurrence
Length and Phonologic Complexity
Semantic categories
Form of visual stimuli
tactile information
context

Question 21

Assessing sentence production

Answer 21

assessed in all standardized tests in various ways
word definition
make a sentence from a word
expressing idea

Question 22

Free standing tests of sentence production

Answer 22

Reporter’s Test-clinician manipulates a token and patient describes what is being done

Question 23

Assessing Discourse Production

Answer 23

tested in most batteries by
picture description
story retelling
interviews and conversations

Question 24

Free Standing Procedures for Assessing Discourse Production

Answer 24

Yorkston & Beukelman- measure content units (elements of information) per minute in describing cookie theft picture
Nicholas & Brookshire- used words per minute, correct information units per minute and percent words to discriminate aphasic adults from non-aphasic adults

Question 25

Speech Fluency is most useful for…

Answer 25

is the most useful measure in classifying aphasia patients

fluency vs nonfluency

Question 26

Assessing Intelligibility

Answer 26

Assessing Intelligibility of Dysarthric Speech if needed, otherwise a clinician can tell from observation

Question 27

Free standing test of written expression for brain injured adults

Answer 27

there are no standardized tests

Question 28

What are 4 ways that writing is assessed?

Answer 28

generating automized sequences
copying
writing to dictation
writing self formulated material

Question 29

What determines fluency vs nonfluency

Answer 29

determined by speech tempo (words per minute) and MLU