An Investigation of the Relationship between Oral-Stereognostic Perception and Type and Severity of Verbal Dyspraxia

The relationship between oral-stereognosis (O.S.) and the nature and severity of verbal dyspraxia was investigated in 16 post-C.V.A. dyspraxic patients. Scores for oral stereognosis were correlated with — (1) repetition of sounds and sentences in the Mayo Clinic Test of Verbal Dyspraxia (Darley, 1975); (2) words and phrases from Speech and Language Disturbances subtest of the Minnesota Test of Differential Diagnosis and Aphasia. In addition, subjects were assigned to one of four groups depending upon their presenting verbal symptoms, i.e., substitution; substitution and perseveration; substitution and initiation; and substitution, perseveration and initiation. Results indicated that O.S. scores correlated highly with the sounds and phrases subtests as well as with errors of substitution providing that the subject did not exhibit difficulties on initiation. Results were discussed in terms of the possible locus of brain lesion. Low scores on the O.S. test may indicate lesions to the post central kinesthetic...