Selective impairment of the graphemic buffer in acquired dysgraphia: a case study

Abstract

The case of an Italian dysgraphic patient (S.E.), who showed a deficit of both written and oral spelling capacities, without significant differences between words and nonwords, is reported. The pattern of the patient's performance was identical on writing to dictation, delayed copying, and written naming. The most common category of errors was single-letter deletions, and errors were predominantly made in medial positions. Stimulus length appeared to be the single factor that most affected performance. This pattern is consistent with the hypothesis that S.E.'s spelling disorder results from selective damage of the Graphemic Buffer. The case is discussed in relation to current functional models of writing and is compared with similar cases reported previously.