Pattern of Language Impairment in Aphasic Patients Applying the P-DAB-1 Test

The Persian Diagnostic Aphasia Battery (P-DAB-1) is one of the tests available for screening and determining the severity of aphasia. The test classifies the patients in seven major diagnostic classes based on the extent of the impairment in different linguistic modalities. The present study aimed to describe the pattern of linguistic impairment in four aphasic patients according to the P-DAB-1 and compare that with the classical view of aphasia.

The study was done in four Persian-speaking aphasic patients who were selected by convenience sampling. Inclusion criteria were being fluent in Persian and right-handed. Patients with severe untreated visual or hearing impairments and neurological diseases affecting cognition were excluded from the study. The P-DAB-1 test was used to determine the severity and type of aphasia.

In this research, the participants had moderate aphasia quotient, of whom three had transcortical motor aphasia and one had conduction aphasia. The patients did not show some symptoms of a specific category according to the classical view.

This study proves the efficiency of P-DAB-1 test and also provides evidence for the deficiencies of the classical view in determining the types of aphasia.