The Performance of Bilingual Speakers of English and Spanish with and without
Aphasia on the Short Version of the Bilingual Aphasia Test

Muñoz, Maria L. and Marquardt, Thomas P.
The Performance of Bilingual Speakers of English and Spanish with and without
Aphasia on the Short Version of the Bilingual Aphasia Test. In Clinical Aphasiology Conference: Clinical Aphasiology Conference (2004 : 34th : Park City, UT : May 2004) / : (2004).

Abstract

Twenty-two neurologically normal bilingual adults who acquired Spanish and English in
childhood completed the short version of the Bilingual Aphasia Test (BAT). Participants
demonstrated statistically significant differences in performance across languages which
were attributable to specific subtests. Cross- linguistic differences were associated with
specific language acquisition and use influences. Additionally, the BAT was administered
to three bilinguals with aphasia. Results suggest that the purpose of the BAT, to capture
cross- linguistic differences in language impairment, can only be met when adequate
consideration is given to pre- morbid differences in language proficiency as indicated by
language acquisition and use patterns.