Article

The aim of this article is to review the rationale on which modern aphasia test
batteries are based. Since the mid-1950s, a starting point chosen because the
discipline of speech (language) pathology was created during that period, a
corpus of English aphasia tests was identified through searches of electronic
databases. The tests were critically evaluated in terms of their theoretical
roots and influences. During the past 50 years, the fundamentals of aphasia
assessment remained basically unchanged, that is, to identify and gain insight
into the nature and the degree of a language disturbance. However, the way in
which the assessment has taken place has shifted back and forth from a purely
medical approach to a more neurolinguistic or social approach depending on the
influence exerted by different scientific fields. Not a single model on which
aphasia assessments rely covers the many and multifaceted problems of individuals
with aphasia. At several points in time during the rehabilitation process, the
clinician and the patient will encounter a crossroad, where it has to be decided
which path to follow next and how to evaluate the covered path. Besides
application of formal test batteries, observations in different natural settings,
evaluations of functional communication and insights into psychosocial coping
contribute towards a holistic approach to aphasia.

Langue : ANGLAIS