Kana Training for the Aphasics Utilizing Kanji as a Key Word

Abstract

Kana (phonetic letter) training was administered to four aphasic patients who manifested severe disturbances in Kana manipulation, in which linkage between Kana and sound are broken, in spite of their slight disturbances in Kanji system. The purpose of this program was to reestablish the linkage between Kana and sound. A Key word written in Kanji was presented for each Kana letter, following the hypo-thesis that the meaning presented by a key word would fascilitate Kana learning.
Findings derived from results of therapy employing the key word system showed that;
1. Ability to write each of Kana letters to dictation improved but did not reach the normal level. The patients became to write intelligible sentences, although they made frequent errors and required more time than normal persons.
2. They became able to write all the key words in Kanji and Kana, in contrast it was more difficult for them to recall sound patterns of the key words. This dissolution between letter and sound seems to indicate the fundamental problem of this type of aphasics.
3. We concluded this program was beneficial as a basic therapy technique for this type of aphasics, especially for those who have a great need for Kana manipuration.