Treating a case of surface dyslexia after closed head injury.

We describe an original treatment program for surface dyslexia in a patient with a closed head injury. Addressing the question of whether the deficient lexical reading routes could be improved in this type of case. we designed three tasks and administered them over ten consecutive treatment sessions. Results indicate improved accuracy of responses as a function of presentation times or response times, or both, on all treatment tasks. Comparisons of standardized reading comprehension and oral reading tests before and after therapy disclosed increases in reading rate, with the patient's originally high level of accuracy remaining constant. This suggests that the patient incorporated the more rapid lexical reading strategy without compromising her level of accuracy.