Semantic Assessment Battery for Malay-speaking Dysphasics

There are no formal language assessment tools for the 200m Malay-speakers in SE Asia. To support evidence-based practice with the Malay-speaking dysphasic population, six computerised subtests for both auditory and written input modalities, was developed using the principles of cognitive neuropsychology: Word-to-Picture Matching (WPM), Picture Naming (PN), and Semantic Matching (SM), for Malay nouns and verbs. Normative data (N=63) revealed effects of modality (oral > written) in PN, word class (nouns > verbs), and processing modality (receptive WPM > expressive PN). These conventional effects were particularly marked in the normal elderly (>60 years) probably as a result of limited educational opportunities