THE INDENTED PARAGRAPH READING TEST IN THE ASSESSMENT OF LEFT HEMI-NEGLECT

We investigated the validity of the Indented paragraph Reading Test (I PRT), designed to assess left hemi-neglect (LHN) in reading behavior w ith regard to education effects, scoring properties, and sensitivity t o recovery of LHN. The IPRT was administered as part of a larger batte ry to 50 right-hemisphere stroke patients approximately 1, 2 3, and 7 months post-stroke if and only if, the patient demonstrated LHN on the previous test battery. Contrary to expectations, performance on the I PRT was not correlated with education and even patients with minimal f ormal education were able to complete the test. We demonstrated that t he author's suggested scoring criterion was valid and sensitive to the presence of LHN as well as to its recovery over time.