Master's Theses

Department

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the speech-language performance of individuals who suffered vascular injury to the left cerebral hemisphere to that of individuals with no history of neurological damage on a newly designed Screening Test of Aphasia for Individuals Who Speak Hindi (STAISH). It was proposed that the total and subtest scores on the STAISH could serve as good indicators for differentiating individuals with and without aphasia. The second purpose of the study was to perform a preliminary assessment of whether the type of aphasia indicated by the subtest scores of individuals in the aphasia group was comparable to that determined by neuro-imaging and clinical neurological diagnoses. The participants in this study were 64 individuals whose primary language of communication was Hindi. Thirty-one participants presented with speech and language difficulties after suffering from a stroke. The control group consisted of 33 participants who presented with no speech and/or language difficulties and no neurological damage. The STAISH was administered to the two groups and results were compared. The subtest score variations for the aphasia group were compared to their clinical neurological and computed tomography (CT) diagnoses. Results indicated that the scores on the STAISH have potential as indicators for the presence of aphasia. Diagnostic classification of aphasia could not be formulated by administration of the STAISH at this time due to lack of a larger sample for the aphasia group. However, the variations of the subtest scores on the STAISH were in accordance with the theoretical construct of aphasia.

Advisor

Amy Finch

Date of Award

Spring 2006

Document Type

Thesis - campus only access

Rights

© The Author(s)

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