Neuropsychological assessment and rehabilitation of writing disorders

Written language provides a means to transform speech into durable, static visual representations, allowing communication of specific thoughts and ideas to transcend time and place. As literate adults, we tend to take for granted our ability to receive and transmit written messages, but this skill requires the integrated function of cognitive, linguistic, and sensorimotor processes that are vulnerable to the effects of acquired brain damage. The goal of neuropsychological assessment of writing is to examine the status of the component processes necessary to support written communication. An understanding of the nature and degree of impairment to specific processes, as well as the availability of residual abilities, provides guidance for the design and implementation of a behavioural rehabilitation plan that is appropriate for a given individual. This chapter provides an overview of the cognitive processes that support writing and a description of the major acquired agraphia syndromes, followed by a review of evidence-based treatment approaches for these writing impairments.