This preliminary study investigated the potential of using a dynamic approach to assessing expressive word mapping. Because measuring word mapping with productive language responses is much more difficult than measuring receptive word mapping, incorporating a dynamic measure allowed us to tap partial mapping and provided useful information on word…

The oral expressive language of 47 aphasic subjects (who had suffered a single unilateral occlusive cerebral vascular accident two to four weeks prior to original testing) was measured on two occasions a year apart. Results found positive changes toward normal language functioning for several variables with type of aphasia affecting outcome on…

Results of a seven-week sentence stimulation treatment on sentence production in an aphasic adult female with agrammatism indicated that treatment influenced description of test picture sets and that some generalization to other picture sets occurred. (Author/DB)

Three methods for evaluating change in the spontaneous language of aphasic subjects were compared. Clinical judgments of experienced speech language pathologists showed excellent agreement with the Shewan Spontaneous Language Analysis (SSLA) and less agreement with the Western Aphasia Battery. The SSLA was found to provide the most comprehensive…

The study describes the Shewan Spontaneous Language Analysis (SSLA), establishes its reliability and validity, and reports on its use with 47 aphasic adults who had suffered a single unilateral occlusive cerebral vascular accident two to four weeks prior to testing and 30 normal adults. (Author/DB)

Language sample data from normal subjects (ages 40-79) were collected to determine how normal aging might affect performance on a picture description task, routinely used for assessment of aphasic individuals. Only an increase in the number of paraphasias and a decrease in communication efficiency correlated with increased age. (DB)

Partially hearing (N=16), deaf (N=20), and normal hearing (N=10) children's ability to say, write, and comprehend the same sentences were compared. Among results were that the partially hearing made more errors in both the spoken and written conditions than hearing subjects who were two years younger. (Author/DB)

The use of continuous discourse tracking to evaluate sensory prostheses for the hearing impaired was assessed in terms of the strategies used by the talker and responses elicited from the listener. Listeners showed small but significant differences in response patterns. Much larger differences were observed in the pattern of correction strategies…

Ten head-injured adults were compared to normal adults on a narrative picture description task. Subjects were similar in amount of pertinent content expressed, narrative length, and rate of speech, but were significantly slower in rate of information imparted as they required lengthier and slower verbal outputs to convey essential information.…

A technique for evaluating children's auditory-language processing abilities was developed. Teachers were trained in inservice workshops to identify auditory-language processing problems, using the Observational Profile of Classroom Communication. They subsequently referred 46 nonhandicapped first-, second-, and third-graders for evaluation, which…