Patterns of dysfunction in schizophrenic patients on an aphasia test battery.

Twenty-seven schizophrenic patients free of any known neurologic deficit were tested with an aphasia test battery. The objective of the research was to derive a profile of schizophrenic language performance to permit its comparison with the profiles characteristic of aphasia, apraxia of speech, generalized intellectual impairment, and confused language. Results indicate that schizophrenic patients exhibit a profile of language performance distinctive from those found in aphasia, apraxia of speech, confusion, or generalized intellectual impairment and demonstrate that the disruption of language in schizophrenia is not aphasic in nature.