Review Attention and aphasia: theory, research and clinical implications

Abstract

Over the past decade, there has been increasing interest in the integrity of attention in adults with aphasia. This review paper examines this issue by first introducing attention theory and associated terminology. Next, the paper summarizes the growing literature which documents that not only may adults with aphasia present with attention deficits, but also that their attention deficits may negatively a ect both their language comprehension and production skills. Lastly, the clinical implications of adopting an attentional model of aphasia are considered with respect to strategies for both the assessment and treatment of adults with aphasia.