WAB-R Profiles in Progressive Speech and Language Disorders: Longitudinal Findings

EasyChair Preprint 6374

Abstract

Previous work demonstrated that relative performance across WAB-R composite scores had good agreement with consensus diagnosis of the semantic (svPPA) and agrammatic variants of PPA (with or without AOS; agPPA), and primary progressive AOS (PPAOS). This study examined performance of these metrics longitudinally in 69 adults diagnosed with svPPA, agPPA or PPAOS. Performance ratios were calculated between: the auditory comprehension and naming and word-finding composite scores (Comprehension:Naming); the auditory comprehension composite score and fluency rating (Comprehension:Fluency); and the rating of information communicated during the spontaneous speech tasks relative to the naming composite score (Information Content:Naming). The relative size of these three ratios yields a profile that is flat (all ratios are roughly equivalent), has a “dip” (Comprehension: Fluency ratio is smaller than the other two ratios), or has a “peak” (Comprehension: Fluency ratio is larger than the other two ratios). Meaningfully different was defined as a difference of 0.20 or greater between both Comprehension:Naming and Information Content:Naming ratios (in the same direction) and the Comprehension:Fluency ratio. Ratio profile agreement between first and final visits was assessed, relative to diagnosis. We observed maintenance of dip and peak profiles between timepoints. In contrast, fewer than half of flat profiles remained flat at the final visit. The findings suggest that “dip” and “peak” profiles had good specificity for the semantic and agrammatic variants, respectively. Flat profiles had excellent sensitivity for PPAOS, but also overidentified svPPA at initial visit. Flat profiles also overidentified agPPA, although a proportion of participants indeed evolved from PPAOS (flat profile) to agPPA (peak profile) over time. We conclude these ratio profiles add value beyond the AQ.

Keyphrases: Primary progressive apraxia of speech, assessment, primary progressive aphasia

@booklet{EasyChair:6374,
  author    = {Heather Clark and Rene Utianski and Joseph Duffy and Edythe Strand and Jennifer Whitwell and Keith A. Josephs},
  title     = {WAB-R Profiles in Progressive Speech and Language Disorders:  Longitudinal Findings},
  howpublished = {EasyChair Preprint 6374},
  year      = {EasyChair, 2021}}