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Neuropsychological characteristics of five children with the Landau-Kleffner syndrome: Dissociation of auditory and phonological discrimination

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 November 1998

MARIT KORKMAN
Affiliation:
Brain and Behavior Institute, University of Maastricht, The Netherlands Åbo Academy University, Turku, Finland
MARJA-LIISA GRANSTRÖM
Affiliation:
Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
KATI APPELQVIST
Affiliation:
Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
ELINA LIUKKONEN
Affiliation:
Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland

Abstract

The Landau-Kleffner Syndrome (LKS) is characterized by acquired receptive aphasia and EEG abnormality with onset between the ages of 3 and 8 years. This study presents neuropsychological assessments in 5 children with LKS. The aims were (1) to specify the neuropsychological deficits characteristic of these children; and (2) to clarify the nature of the receptive aphasia by comparing nonverbal and verbal auditory discrimination. Receptive aphasia was present in all children. Retardation, poor motor coordination, hyperkinesia, and conduct problems were frequent but variable. All children exhibited a dissociation between the discrimination of environmental sounds and phonological auditory discrimination, the latter being more impaired than the former. This suggests that the primary deficit of the receptive aphasia is an impairment of auditory phonological discrimination rather than a generalized auditory agnosia. (JINS, 1998, 4, 566–575.)

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 1998 The International Neuropsychological Society

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