Affiliations: Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
and Department of Neurology The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA | New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, New York, NY,
USA | Communication Disorders Program University of
Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
Note: [] Corresponding author: Pélagie M. Beeson, Ph.D., Department of
Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, PO Box 210071, University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ 85721-0071, USA. Tel.: +1 520 621 9879; Fax: +1 520 621 9901;
E-mail: pelagie@u.arizona.edu
Abstract: The present investigation provides a longitudinal study of an
individual (RB) with acquired alexia following left posterior cerebral artery
stroke. At initial testing, RB exhibited acquired alexia characterized by
letter-by-letter (LBL) reading, mild anomic aphasia, and acquired agraphia.
Repeated measures of reading accuracy and rate were collected for single words
and text over the course of one year, along with probes of naming and spelling
abilities. Improvements associated with natural recovery (i.e., without
treatment) were documented up to the fourth month post onset, when text reading
appeared to be relatively stable. Multiple oral reading (MOR) treatment was
initiated at 22 weeks post-stroke, and additional improvements in reading rate
and accuracy for text were documented that were greater than those expected on
the basis of spontaneous recovery alone. Over the course of one year, reading
reaction times for single words improved, and the word-length effect that is
the hallmark of LBL reading diminished. RB's response to treatment supports the
therapeutic value of MOR treatment to in LBL readers. His residual impairment
of reading and spelling one-year post stroke raised the question as to whether
further progress was impeded by degraded orthographic knowledge.
