A Neuropsychological Investigation of “Functional Disorders of Speech Articulation”

Abstract

This study investigated the neurological competence of children diagnosed as having “functional articulatory disorders.” The Reitan-Indiana Neuropsychological Test Battery was administered to 10 children who had errors of omission, 10 who had substitutions, and 10 who were matched controls. Of the 28 subtest scores, 11 showed significant differences between those children with speech problems and controls. The scores for the omission group were significantly poorer than those for the other two groups. Two judges, familiar with interpretation of the battery, rated nine of the 10 omission subjects, seven of the 10 substitution subjects, and one of the 10 control subjects as brain damaged. The evidence seemed to point to the left hemisphere as a possible location of the cerebral damage. The subjects demonstrated greatest difficulty with tasks which required sensory-receptive functions. These results were discussed with reference to Luria’s clinical description of “kinesthetic motor aphasia.”