Symptom 8: Written Language Deficits
Conduction aphasia, while primarily affecting spoken language, also impacts written communication. The eighth symptom is evident in the form of written language deficits. These errors in writing frequently mirror the paraphasic errors seen in speech, reinforcing the idea that the aphasic symptoms are not confined to just one modality of language expression.
For example, an individual may intend to write the word ‘elephant,’ but it could transpire on paper as ‘eletphant.’ In other cases, the written words could be completely different from what was intended, despite the person knowing what they want to express. Just as they struggle to pronounce or repeat words accurately, writing too becomes a challenging task due to the substitution of letters or entire words.
It’s worth noting that the severity of the written language deficits often correlates with the intensity of the spoken language symptoms. This correlation signifies a relationship between spoken and written language that, when disrupted, leads to mirrored impairments.
For some individuals, the writing errors could be minimal, with occasional misspellings or misplaced letters. But for others, the written content could be largely unintelligible due to the frequency and extent of the errors. Regardless of the severity, these written deficits highlight the pervasive impact of conduction aphasia, affecting an individual’s ability to communicate effectively across multiple platforms. (8)
