Writing impairment in schizophasia: Two case studies

Two ease studies were conducted of patients suffering from paranoid schizop hre- nia with glossomanic schizophasia. Their dictation-taking performance was assessed via a comprehensive standardized neuropsychological test batte ry following a protocol specifically designed fur the purpose (Lecours, 199 6). The patients' performance was compared with normative data from the gen eral population. The results show that the patients committed graphemic par agraphias, that is, they replaced target graphemes with others representati ve of the corresponding phoneme (ph and f for/f/, in French) or with graphe mes representative of a similar phoneme (v for/f/). These errors suggest th at components of a cognitive model of writing are dysfunctional (C) Academi c Press.