Challenges in Assessing Aphasia in Congenital Blind Patients: A Case Report

• Published in: Reports (MDPI) Vol. 6; no. 4; p. 49
• Main Authors: Nicoletta, Maria Grazia, Riganello, Francesco, Lucca, Lucia Francesca, Cortese, Maria Daniela
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.10.2023
• Subjects: Adaptation; Aphasia; Apraxia; Blindness; Braille; broca aphasia; Case reports; Case studies; Communication; communication aids for disabled; Congenital diseases; health communication; Injuries; Ischemia; Language; Linguistics; Medical examination; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Patients; Physiological aspects; Reading; Rehabilitation; sensory aids; Speech; Speech therapists; Stroke; Writing; Italy
• ISSN: 2571-841X; 2571-841X
• DOI: 10.3390/reports6040049

This case report focuses on assessing aphasia in a congenitally blind patient with an ischemic lesion using the Aachener Aphasia Test. The method involved adapting existing assessment tools to the patient, integrating Braille as an accessible technology, and incorporating the patient’s family for emotional support and for the identification of patient-specific communication strategies. The assessment revealed patient strengths in areas such as articulation, prosody, and repetition skills, but also exposed challenges in semantic and syntactic structures. However, the unavailability to assess and score naming and comprehension limited a full assessment of the patient’s language abilities. The findings underscore the need for flexible, tailored assessment strategies and collaborative approaches involving healthcare professionals and families. Moreover, it suggests a considerable research gap and a need for standard tools to assess blind patients with aphasia comprehensively. This case report contributes to the limited knowledge of assessing aphasia in blind individuals and calls for further research in this area to refine and expand the available tools and strategies.