Acquired alexia: Lessons from successful treatment
Abstract
Two individuals with anomic aphasia and acquired alexia were each provided treatment for their reading impairment. Although reading of single words in isolation was fairly accurate, their text reading was slow and effortful, including functor substitutions and semantic errors. Prior to treatment, reading reaction times for single words showed grammatical class and word-length effects. Both patients responded positively to a treatment protocol that included two phases: (1) multiple oral rereading of text, and (2) reading phrase-formatted text that had increased spacing between phrasal clauses. Their reading rates for text improved while maintaining good comprehension. Following treatment, reading reaction times for single words showed the elimination of grammatical class and word-length effects, suggesting improved access to word forms, particularly functors. (JINS, 1998, 4, 621–635.)
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Previous research reported improvements in lexical retrieval, spontaneous speech, and reading abilities post-treatment, though with relatively limited generalization of these improvements.
“Previous research33 similarly reported improvements in lexical retrieval, spontaneous speech, and reading abilities post-treatment, though with relatively limited generalization of these improvements.”
From ORLA combined with telerehabilitation in patients with subacute Poststroke aphasia: a randomized controlled trial (2025) · cites this paper as [33]
Cites
From Neuropsychology to Mental Structure
Shallice, T. (1988) · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511526817 · Cited by 4,072 · see citing works
Patterns of paralexia: A psycholinguistic approach
Marshall, J. C., & Newcombe, F. (1973) · Journal of Psycholinguistic Research · doi:10.1007/bf01067101 · Cited by 1,039 · see citing works
Psycholinguistic assessments of language processing in aphasia (PALPA)
Kay, J., Lesser, R., & Coltheart, M. (1992) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 868 · see citing works
Clinical neuropsychology, 3rd ed.
Heilman, K. M., & Valenstein, E. (1993) · Cited by 423 · see citing works
Influence of Rehabilitation on Language Skills in Aphasic Patients
Basso, A., Capitani, E., & Vignolo, L. A. (1979) · Archives of Neurology · doi:10.1001/archneur.1979.00500400044005 · Cited by 369 · see citing works
Reliability and Validity Characteristics of the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB)
Shewan, C. M., & KERTESZ, A. E. (1980) · Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders · doi:10.1044/jshd.4503.308 · Cited by 319 · see citing works
The efficacy of computer-provided reading treatment for chronic aphasic adults
Katz, R. C., & Wertz, R. T. (1997) · Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research · doi:10.1044/jslhr.4003.493 · Cited by 240 · see citing works
Veterans Administration Cooperative Study on Aphasia
Wertz, R. T., Collins, M. J., Weiss, D. G., Kurtzke, J. F., Friden, T., Brookshire, R. H., Pierce, J., Holtzapple, P., Hubbard, D. J., Porch, B. E., et al. (1981) · Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research · doi:10.1044/jshr.2404.580 · Cited by 199 · see citing works
Re-education of a deep dyslexic patient: Rationale of the method and results
de Partz, M. (1986) · Cognitive Neuropsychology · doi:10.1080/02643298608252674 · Cited by 178 · see citing works
The autocue? self-generated phonemic cues in the treatment of a disorder of reading and naming
Nickels, L. (1992) · Cognitive Neuropsychology · doi:10.1080/02643299208252057 · Cited by 157 · see citing works
Disorders of lexical selection
Garrett, M. F. (1992) · Cognition · doi:10.1016/0010-0277(92)90042-g · Cited by 143 · see citing works
Holland, A. L., Fromm, D., DeRuyter, F., & Stein, M. (1996) · Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research · doi:10.1044/jshr.3905.s27 · Cited by 142 · see citing works
The role of models of language processing in rehabilitation of language impairments
Hillis, A. E. (1993) · Aphasiology · doi:10.1080/02687039308249497 · Cited by 98 · see citing works
Efficacy of oral reading in aphasia treatment outcome.
Lr, C., Merbitz, C. T., & Grip, J. C. (1986) · PubMed · Cited by 59 · see citing works
The evolution of pure alexia: A longitudinal study of recovery*1
Behrmann, M. (1990) · Brain and Language · doi:10.1016/0093-934x(90)90148-a · Cited by 58 · see citing works
The Role of the Graphemic Buffer in Reading
Caramazza, A. (1996) · Cognitive Neuropsychology · doi:10.1080/026432996381881 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Computer assisted remediation of a homophone comprehension disorder in surface dyslexia
Scott, C. H., & Byng, S. (1989) · Aphasiology · doi:10.1080/02687038908248996 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Multiple oral rereading technique in rehabilitation of pure alexia
Tuomainen, J., & Laine, M. (1991) · Aphasiology · doi:10.1080/02687039108248542 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Reading Problems in Chronic Aphasia
Webb, W. G., & Love, R. J. (1983) · Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders · doi:10.1044/jshd.4802.164 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Alexia without agraphia: potential for model assisted therapy.
Rothi, L. J. G., & Moss, S. E. (1992) · PubMed · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Spacing Printed Text to Isolate Major Phrases Improves Readability.
Bever, T. G. (1991) · Visible Language · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Remediation of alexia without agraphia: A case study
Daniel, M. S., Bolter, J. F., & Long, C. J. (1992) · Brain Injury · doi:10.3109/02699059209008150 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Phrase-spaced formats improve comprehension in average readers.
Jandreau, S., & Bever, T. G. (1992) · Journal of Applied Psychology · doi:10.1037//0021-9010.77.2.143 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Silverberg, N. B., Vigliocco, G., Insalaco, D., & Garrett, M. F. (1998) · Aphasiology · doi:10.1080/02687039808249537 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Self-citationImproving the Readability of Text with Automatic Phrase‐Sensitive Formating
Jandreau, S., Muncer, S., & Bever, T. G. (1986) · British Journal of Educational Technology · doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.1986.tb00502.x · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Introducing Computers: Concepts, Systems and Applications
Blissmer, R. H. (1994) · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Remediation of acquired dyslexia
Moody, S. (1988) · Clinical Rehabilitation · doi:10.1177/026921558800200404 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
1 of the 28 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Hillis, A. E. (2002) · Cited by 150 · see citing works
The word-length effect in reading: A review
Barton, J. J. S., Hanif, H. M., Björnström, L. E., & Hills, C. S. (2014) · Cognitive Neuropsychology · doi:10.1080/02643294.2014.895314 · Cited by 143 · see citing works
Brennan, A., Worrall, L., & McKenna, K. (2005) · Aphasiology · doi:10.1080/02687030444000958 · Cited by 134 · see citing works
Aphasia, Alexia, and Oral Reading
Reiff Cherney, L. (2004) · Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation · doi:10.1310/vupx-wdx7-j1eu-00tb · Cited by 91 · see citing works
Dietz, A. R., Hux, K., McKelvey, M. L., Beukelman, D. R., & Weissling, K. S. E. (2009) · Aphasiology · doi:10.1080/02687030802635832 · Cited by 81 · see citing works
Francis, D. R., Clark, N., & Humphreys, G. W. (2003) · Aphasiology · doi:10.1080/02687030344000201 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Approaches to the treatment of alexia in chronic aphasia
Mayer, J. F., & Murray, L. L. (2002) · Aphasiology · doi:10.1080/02687030143000870 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
Disorders of higher visual processing
Barton, J. J. S. (2011) · Handbook of clinical neurology · doi:10.1016/b978-0-444-52903-9.00015-7 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
The word-length effect in acquired alexia, and real and virtual hemianopia
Sheldon, C. A., Abegg, M. H., Sekunova, A., & Barton, J. J. S. (2012) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2012.01.020 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Letter‐By‐Letter Reading: Natural Recovery and Response to Treatment
Beeson, P. M., Magloire, J., & Robey, R. R. (2005) · Behavioural Neurology · doi:10.1155/2005/413962 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Self-citationUsing Images With Individuals With Aphasia: Current Research and Clinical Trends
Brown, J. A., & Thiessen, A. (2018) · American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology · doi:10.1044/2017_ajslp-16-0190 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Webster, J., Morris, J., Connor, C., Horner, R., McCormac, C., & Potts, A. (2013) · Aphasiology · doi:10.1080/02687038.2013.825760 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Beeson, P. M., Rewega, M. A., Vail, S. M., & Rapcsak, S. Z. (2000) · Aphasiology · doi:10.1080/026870300401315 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Self-citationMultiple Oral Re-reading treatment for alexia: The parts may be greater than the whole
Lacey, E. H., Lott, S. N., Snider, S. F., Sperling, A. J., & Friedman, R. B. (2010) · Neuropsychological Rehabilitation · doi:10.1080/09602011003710993 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
A “novel” reading therapy programme for reading difficulties after a subarachnoid haemorrhage
Cocks, N., Pritchard, M., Cornish, H., Johnson, N., & Cruice, M. N. (2013) · Aphasiology · doi:10.1080/02687038.2013.780283 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Caute, A., Cruice, M., Friede, A., Galliers, J., Dickinson, T., Green, R., & Woolf, C. (2015) · Aphasiology · doi:10.1080/02687038.2015.1052729 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Watter, K., Copley, A., & Finch, E. (2016) · Disability and Rehabilitation · doi:10.3109/09638288.2016.1141241 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Concurrent treatment for reading and spelling in aphasia
Orjada, S. A., & Beeson, P. M. (2005) · Aphasiology · doi:10.1080/02687030444000796 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Self-citationLee, J. B., Sohlberg, M. M., Harn, B., Horner, R. H., & Cherney, L. R. (2018) · Neuropsychological Rehabilitation · doi:10.1080/09602011.2018.1477683 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Multiple Oral Rereading (MOR) Treatment: Who Is It for?
Kim, M. (2010) · Contemporary Issues in Communication Science and Disorders · doi:10.1044/cicsd_36_s_58 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Cistola, G., Farrús, M., & van der Meulen, I. (2020) · International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders · doi:10.1111/1460-6984.12569 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Pitts, L. L., Hurwitz, R., Lee, J. B., Carpenter, J., & Cherney, L. R. (2017) · International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology · doi:10.1080/17549507.2016.1276962 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Kim, E. S., & Lemke, S. (2016) · Neuropsychological Rehabilitation · doi:10.1080/09602011.2014.999688 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Kim, E. S., Rising, K., Rapcsak, S. Z., & Beeson, P. M. (2015) · Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research · doi:10.1044/2015_jslhr-l-14-0286 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Self-citationAssessment of language impairment and function
Richardson, J. D., & Dalton, S. G. (2022) · Handbook of clinical neurology · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-823384-9.00009-8 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Kim, E., & Bolger, P. (2012) · Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.10.078 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Repetition priming in oral text reading: A therapeutic strategy for phonologic text alexia
Lott, S. N., Sperling, A. J., Watson, N. L., & Friedman, R. B. (2008) · Aphasiology · doi:10.1080/02687030801969539 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Purdy, M. (2015) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-397045-9.00056-2 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Aphasic, arthric, calculation, and auditory disorders
Godefroy, O. (2013) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9781139058988.008 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Gan, L., Huang, L., Li, L., Yang, X., Meng, L., Pang, Z., & Wei, Q. (2025) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-025-06258-5 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Error analysis of oral paragraph reading in individuals with aphasia
Smith, K. G., & Clark, K. F. (2018) · Aphasiology · doi:10.1080/02687038.2018.1545992 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Alexia and Agraphia Intervention Following Traumatic Brain Injury: A Single Case Study
Hux, K., & Mahrt, T. (2019) · American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology · doi:10.1044/2019_ajslp-18-0245 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Alexia and agraphia in acute and chronic stroke
Hillis, A. E. (2007) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511544880.008 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Speeded functor reading: A new treatment program for phonological text alexia
Sperling, A. J., Lott, S. N., Snider, S. F., & Friedman, R. B. (2005) · Brain and Language · doi:10.1016/j.bandl.2005.07.109 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Multiple oral re-reading treatment for alexia: It works, but why?
Lacey, E. H., Lott, S. N., Sperling, A. J., Snider, S. F., & Friedman, R. B. (2007) · Brain and Language · doi:10.1016/j.bandl.2007.07.071 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Dissociating reading and auditory comprehension in persons with aphasia
Harrington, R. M., Kristinsson, S., Wilmskoetter, J., Busby, N., den Ouden, D., Rorden, C., Fridriksson, J., & Bonilha, L. (2024) · Brain Communications · doi:10.1093/braincomms/fcae102 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Readability of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for Persons with Aphasia
Gray, S. (2019) · Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Zakopoulou, V., Magou, L., Tsamis, K. I., Dimitriou, N., Loli, G., Kolotoura, I., Kostadima, V., & Ploumis, A. (2022) · Acta Scientific Neurology · doi:10.31080/asne.2023.06.0576 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Oral Reading Fluency and Comprehension in Persons with Alexia and Aphasia
Smith, K. G., & Lins, J. S. (2024) · Aphasiology · doi:10.1080/02687038.2024.2314323 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Alexia and agraphia in acute and chronic stroke
Hillis, A. E. (2013) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9781139058988.010 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Living with Aphasia: Creating a New Life
Vail, S. M. (2000) · Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation · doi:10.1310/vymm-nn3t-vedd-vry3 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Eye-tracking Analysis of Reading in People with Aphasia
Mendoza, M. P. (2019) · ERA: Education and Research Archive (University of Alberta) · doi:10.7939/r3-e11g-zy89 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Watter, K. (2020) · The University of Queensland · doi:10.14264/uql.2020.752 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Dissociating reading and auditory comprehension in persons with aphasiaPreprint
Harrington, R. M., Kristinsson, S., Wilmskoetter, J., Busby, N., den Ouden, D., Rorden, C., Fridriksson, J., & Bonilha, L. (2023) · doi:10.31219/osf.io/hv584 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Generalization and maintenance in aphasia rehabilitation
Lacey, E. H. (2010) · DigitalGeorgetown (Georgetown University Library) · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Riabilitazione dei disturbi del linguaggio e del calcolo: afasie, alessie, agrafie, acalculia
Basso, A., Cattaneo, S., Miozzo, A., Modena, L., & Monti, A. (2012) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-88-470-2349-9_6
Lee, J. B. (2014) · Scholars' Bank (University of Oregon)
Cox, A. R. (2013) · ThinkTech (Texas Tech University)
Mechanisms of Recovery in Acquired Alexia
Lemke, S. (2012) · ERA: Education and Research Archive (University of Alberta) · doi:10.7939/r3t33g
Top-down and bottom-up treatment approaches compared in a single case of pure alexia
Ramsberger, G., Messamer, P., Robinaugh, G., Ervin, M. T., Spees, H. K., & Tran, N.-V. (2019) · Aphasiology · doi:10.1080/02687038.2019.1637813
Gil, R., & Wager, M. (2021) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-2-294-76689-3.00007-3
Effects of Images on Word Training in Persons with Aphasia: An Exploratory Study
Swamy, A., Puttanna, D., Anil, E., Alharbi, M. F. J., & Janardhana, S. U. (2025) · Eon'eo cheong'gag jang'ae yeon'gu/Communication sciences & disorders · doi:10.12963/csd.250144
Min, S., & Lee, J. (2026) · Aphasiology · doi:10.1080/02687038.2026.2693090
- Authors
- BEESON, P. M., & INSALACO, D.
- Affiliations
- University of Arizona (US)
- Venue
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 1998-11
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 621-635
- ISSN
- 1355-6177 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-7661
- OpenAlex
- W2046549784
- Cited by
- 53
- References
- 28
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 1.30
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (5p60dc001409-10)
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (DC 01409)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Reading and Literacy Development
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
- Keywords
- anomic aphasia, reading disorders, text reading, single word reading, semantic errors, word length effect, reading speed, reading comprehension
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Dyslexia, Acquired, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Neuropsychological Tests, Reaction Time, Treatment Outcome
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
