Differentiating language disorder subtypes in acquired childhood aphasia

Abstract This paper discusses the ways in which aphasic disorders are categorized. The language disorders of 34 children with acquired childhood aphasia from a range of aetiologies were categorized according to two systems: Goodglass and Kaplan (1972) and Rapin and Allen (1987). This categorization was based on comprehensive assessment data. Results demonstrate that the majority of the children had aphasias which could not be categorized by either of these two systems. The implications of these results for the study of acquired childhood aphasia are discussed.