Praxis SLP Licensure Exam

What disorder might a patient exhibiting anomia, impaired auditory comprehension, and strengths in visuospatial skills be experiencing?

1. Primary progressive aphasia - nonfluent variety

2. Primary progressive apraxia of speech

3. Dementia with Lewy bodies

4. Primary progressive aphasia - fluent variety

The correct answer is: Primary progressive aphasia - fluent variety

A patient exhibiting anomia, impaired auditory comprehension, and strengths in visuospatial skills is likely experiencing primary progressive aphasia (PPA), specifically the nonfluent variety, rather than the fluent variety. The nonfluent variant is characterized by effortful speech production, difficulties in word retrieval (anomia), and a generally preserved ability in tasks requiring visuospatial skills. In this context, the presence of impaired auditory comprehension indicates that language processing is significantly affected, which is more characteristic of the nonfluent variant of PPA. In fluent variants, such as the one incorrectly suggested in the answer choice, individuals may maintain relatively intact expressive language but struggle more with comprehension over time. Strengths in visuospatial skills provide further evidence that cognitive abilities affecting non-language areas remain intact, as those strengths are not typically overshadowed by the linguistic deficits, aligning with the symptoms seen in the nonfluent variant of primary progressive aphasia rather than in any of the other listed options. Each of the alternative disorders presents differently. For instance, primary progressive apraxia of speech primarily impacts speech production planning and execution without significantly impairing comprehension early on. Dementia with Lewy bodies tends to include a more generalized decline in both cognition and language, accompanied by visual