Internationale Zeitschrift für Neurorehabilitation

Case Study into the Effect of Intensive Mass Training on Chronic Pure Alexia

Abstract

Inge L. Wilms

Background: Pure alexia is often regarded as a minor deficit when compared to other effects of brain injury. However, the loss of the ability to read is to many a true loss of quality of life.
Objective: The study is an explorative case study investigating the effects of intensive reading training in a patient with acquired pure alexia disorder. The training targeted the various stages of the basic reading process.
Methods: A patient diagnosed with pure alexia trained for 2 hours a day for 15 days. The training consisted of exposure to word, non-words, sentences and text with varying complexity in format as well content. The training material was developed to accommodate intensive and adaptive training directed at regaining fundamental reading abilities without the use of compensatory techniques.
Results: The patient improved on reading speed for short words, short sentences and text. The patients improved significantly in letter reading speed. There was no significant change in the performance on 3, 5 or 7 letter words before and after training.
Conclusion: The case is a prototype study and indicative that intensive may improve reading speed but has no effect on the fundamental problem of word length effect in alexia.