BASA: Boston Assessment of Severe Aphasia

Ages: No age range
Testing Time: 30 to 40 minutes
Administration: Individual

This aphasia test is designed to be given to poststroke cases soon after the onset of symptoms, preferably at bedside. It can be given long before most other assessments are appropriate.

The BASA probes the spared language abilities of persons with severe aphasia and provides diagnostic information needed for immediate treatment. The 61 items measure a wide variety of tasks and modalities, including auditory comprehension, bucco-facial or limb praxis, gesture recognition, oral and gestural expression, reading comprehension, writing, and visual–spatial tasks.

Both gestural and verbal responses to the items are scored, and refusals, affective responses, and perseverative responses also are recorded. Gestural and verbal responses may be scored in combination or separately, and both scores may be expressed as fully or partially communicative.

Complete BASA Kit includes: Examiner's Manual, Clipboard, Manipulatives, Stimulus Cards, DVD, and 25 Record Forms, all in a storage box. (©1989)