Treatment for Reading and Writing Deficits Following Acquired Brain Injury

Treatment for Reading and Writing Deficits Following Acquired Brain Injury

Many people with acquired brain injuries have deficits in reading decoding, reading comprehension, and written expression. Alexia is a phenomenon in which a person who previously could read has trouble doing so after having sustained a brain injury; likewise, agraphia is an acquired writing problem affecting one or more aspects of written communication. Alexia and agraphia sometimes co-occur with one another and/or with other language challenges, but they can also occur as isolated phenomena. Methods to treat alexia and agraphia often focus on single intervention techniques that address aspects of reading or writing in isolation-such as matching written and spoken letters or letter sounds, performing choral reading, tracing letters, etc. Existing research suggests that the effectiveness of these techniques is limited. However, when used in combination, such techniques may promote improved reading and written communication skills. As such, the purpose of this research is to determine the extent to which a multicomponent intervention program improves the reading and writing capabilities of people with acquired alexia and/or agraphia.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Survivor of acquired brain injury
• Exhibits alexia and/or agraphia
• Past or current client of Quality Living, Inc., Omaha, Nebraska
• Fluent speaker of English

Exclusion Criteria:

• Vision impairment prohibiting reading of 24-point text
• Auditory comprehension problems precluding understanding of consent/assent information