Editing Aphasia (section)

==== Cognitive neuropsychological approaches ====
Although localizationist approaches provide a useful way of classifying the different patterns of language difficulty into broad groups, one problem is that most individuals do not fit neatly into one category or another.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Godefroy O, Dubois C, Debachy B, Leclerc M, Kreisler A | title = Vascular aphasias: main characteristics of patients hospitalized in acute stroke units | journal = Stroke | volume = 33 | issue = 3 | pages = 702–705 | date = March 2002 | pmid = 11872891 | doi = 10.1161/hs0302.103653 | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Ross K.B. |author2=Wertz R.T. | year = 2001 | title = Type and severity of aphasia during the first seven months poststroke | journal = Journal of Medical Speech-Language Pathology | volume = 9 | pages = 31–53 }}</ref> Another problem is that the categories, particularly the major ones such as Broca's and Wernicke's aphasia, still remain quite broad and do not meaningfully reflect a person's difficulties. Consequently, even amongst those who meet the criteria for classification into a subtype, there can be enormous variability in the types of difficulties they experience.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What Is Aphasia? — Types, Causes and Treatment |url=https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/aphasia |access-date=2022-06-17 |website=NIDCD |date=6 March 2017 |language=en}}</ref>

Instead of categorizing every individual into a specific subtype, cognitive neuropsychological approaches aim to identify the key language skills or "modules" that are not functioning properly in each individual. A person could potentially have difficulty with just one module, or with a number of modules. This type of approach requires a framework or theory as to what skills/modules are needed to perform different kinds of language tasks. For example, the model of [[Max Coltheart]] identifies a module that recognizes [[phonemes]] as they are spoken, which is essential for any task involving recognition of words. Similarly, there is a module that stores phonemes that the person is planning to produce in speech, and this module is critical for any task involving the production of long words or long strings of speech. Once a theoretical framework has been established, the functioning of each module can then be assessed using a specific test or set of tests. In the clinical setting, use of this model usually involves conducting a battery of assessments,<ref>{{cite book |author1=Coltheart, Max |author2=Kay, Janice |author3=Lesser, Ruth |title=PALPA psycholinguistic assessments of language processing in aphasia |publisher=Lawrence Erlbaum Associates |location=Hillsdale, N.J |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-86377-166-8 }}</ref><ref>Porter, G., & Howard, D. (2004). CAT: comprehensive aphasia test. Psychology Press.</ref> each of which tests one or a number of these modules. Once a diagnosis is reached as to the skills/modules where the most significant impairment lies, therapy can proceed to treat these skills.