Diagnosing Language Problems

Neuropsychological testing outlines strengths and weaknesses in a number of functions, including language. Standardized tests of vocabulary, naming, and word retrieval are particularly useful for objectively documenting whether these specific language functions are intact. Most testing also assesses a broader range of verbal skills as well as language-based academic skills such as reading and spelling.

What about testing for aphasia?
Aphasia is an acquired disorder of language or symbolic processing. A patient who shows symptoms of aphasia will be asked to perform a variety of structured tasks to assess expressive language, comprehension, repetition, and naming. Studying the pattern of performance on this range of tasks helps the neuropsychologist to classify the specific type of aphasia, as well as the likely location of the brain disturbance that is causing it. For example, we distinguish between fluent and non-fluent forms of aphasia, depending on the person's ease and level of expressive speech.

In most cases, aphasia is related to the effects of a stroke, brain tumor, or traumatic injury affecting a limited area of the brain. Some types of aphasia involve relatively specific skills, such as repetition or naming. Others do involve a disturbance of language in its global form. All types show characteristic patterns of disturbance in phonology, syntax, and semantics.

The information from the neuropsychological tests is useful in helping to determine the location, severity, and extent of brain abnormalities. A record of such testing also serves as a baseline to make comparisons over time or after surgery.