Treatment for Reading and Writing Deficits Following Acquired Brain Injury

Many people with acquired brain injuries have deficits in reading decoding, reading
comprehension, and written expression. Alexia is a phenomenon in which a person who
previously could read has trouble doing so after having sustained a brain injury; likewise,
agraphia is an acquired writing problem affecting one or more aspects of written
communication. Alexia and agraphia sometimes co-occur with one another and/or with other
language challenges, but they can also occur as isolated phenomena. Methods to treat alexia
and agraphia often focus on single intervention techniques that address aspects of reading or
writing in isolation—such as matching written and spoken letters or letter sounds, performing
choral reading, tracing letters, etc. Existing research suggests that the effectiveness of
these techniques is limited. However, when used in combination, such techniques may promote
improved reading and written communication skills. As such, the purpose of this research is
to determine the extent to which a multicomponent intervention program improves the reading
and writing capabilities of people with acquired alexia and/or agraphia.