Treatment of sentence production deficits in aphasia: A linguistic-specific approach to wh-interrogative training and generalization

Abstract The present research examines the effects of a linguistic-specific treatment on acquisition and generalization of wh-interrogative structures in two aphasic subjects presenting with deficit patterns consistent with agrammatism. The underlying linguistic representation of sentence structures selected for treatment and generalization was considered based on aspects of Chomsky's (1981) Government Binding (GB) theory, and a linguistic-based, wh-movement treatment strategy was implemented. Using a single-subject multiple-baseline design across behaviours and subjects, the effects of treatment were explored by examining generalization patterns across wh question forms requiring wh-movement (movement of a direct object NP to COMP). Within question form generalization also was evaluated by examining formulation of untrained sentences of varied complexity—with complexity defined in terms of the number of phrasal nodes in the d-structure representation of sentences. Results indicated that for both subjects...

[1]  Angela D. Friederici,et al.  Thematic analysis in agrammatic comprehension: Syntactic structures and task demands , 1992, Brain and Language.

[2]  C K Thompson,et al.  Flexibility of single-subject experimental designs. Part III: Using flexibility to design or modify experiments. , 1986, The Journal of speech and hearing disorders.

[3]  K P Kearns,et al.  Flexibility of single-subject experimental designs. Part II: Design selection and arrangement of experimental phases. , 1986, The Journal of speech and hearing disorders.

[4]  R. Chapey,et al.  Language intervention strategies in adult aphasia , 1981 .

[5]  E. V. Jones,et al.  Building the foundations for sentence production in a non-fluent aphasic. , 1986, The British journal of disorders of communication.

[6]  Juan Uriagereka,et al.  A Course in GB Syntax: Lectures on Binding and Empty Categories , 1988 .

[7]  Lewis P. Shapiro,et al.  Processing complexity and sentence memory: Evidence from amnesia , 1992, Brain and Language.

[8]  Y. Grodzinsky.  Theoretical perspectives on language deficits , 1990 .

[9]  Leija V. McReynolds,et al.  Single-subject experimental designs in communicative disorders , 1983 .

[10]  J. Gierut,et al.  Differential learning of phonological oppositions. , 1990, Journal of speech and hearing research.

[11]  Noam Chomsky.  Knowledge of language: its nature, origin, and use , 1988 .

[12]  Fred R. Eckman,et al.  On the Generalization of Relative Clause Instruction in the Acquisition of English as a Second Language1 , 1988 .

[13]  E. Zurif,et al.  Sentence processing and the mental representation of verbs , 1987, Cognition.

[14]  Noam Chomsky,et al.  Lectures on Government and Binding , 1981 .

[15]  C. Thompson,et al.  Training and generalization of agrammatic aphasic adults' wh-interrogative productions. , 1989, Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders.

[16]  A. Kertesz.  The Western Aphasia Battery , 1982 .

[17]  M. MacDonald.  Priming effects from gaps to antecedents , 1989 .

[18]  H. Goldstein,et al.  Experimental analysis of syntax training in Broca's aphasia: a generalization and social validation study. , 1987, The Journal of speech and hearing disorders.

[19]  E. Zurif,et al.  Predicate-argument structure as a link between linguistic and nonlinguistic representations , 1990, Brain and Language.

[20]  Leija V. McReynolds,et al.  Flexibility of Single-Subject Experimental Designs. Part III , 1986 .

[21]  Myrna F Schwartz,et al.  The word order problem in agrammatism II. Production , 1980, Brain and Language.

[22]  Guylaine Le Dorze,et al.  Aphasia rehabilitation with a case of agrammatism: A partial replication , 1991 .

[23]  Lewis P. Shapiro,et al.  Verb processing during sentence comprehension in aphasia , 1990, Brain and Language.

[24]  M. Schwartz,et al.  The word order problem in agrammatism I. Comprehension , 1980, Brain and Language.

[25]  L. Mcreynolds,et al.  Wh interrogative production in agrammatic aphasia: an experimental analysis of auditory-visual stimulation and direct-production treatment. , 1986, Journal of speech and hearing research.

[26]  Facilitating sentence formulation: a case study. , 1976, Journal of communication disorders.

[27]  N. helm-estabrooks,et al.  Response of an agrammatic patient to a syntax stimulation program for aphasia. , 1981, The Journal of speech and hearing disorders.

[28]  A. Caramazza.  Cognitive neuropsychology and rehabilitation: An unfulfilled promise? , 1989 .

[29]  Sally Byng,et al.  Sentence processing deficits: Theory and therapy , 1988 .

[30]  M. Naeser.  A structured approach teaching aphasics basic sentence types. , 1975, The British journal of disorders of communication.

[31]  Steven P. Abney,et al.  Parsing arguments: Phrase structure and argument structure as determinants of initial parsing decisions. , 1991 .

[32]  E. Kaplan,et al.  The Boston naming test , 2001 .