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Availability
Please visit this website for more information about the instrument: Western Aphasia Battery-Revised (WAB-R)
Classification
NeuroRehab Supplemental - Highly Recommended
Recommendations for Use: Indicated for studies requiring a measure of language. Recommended for Stroke.
 
Supplemental-Highly Recommended: Stroke
Short Description of Instrument
The Western Aphasia Battery-Revised (WAB-R) assesses linguistic skills most frequently affected by aphasia, plus key nonlinguistic skills, and provides differential diagnosis information. Adaptable to various administration settings from hospital room to clinic, it provides a baseline level of performance to measure change over time.
 
WAB-R is an individually administered assessment for adults with acquired neurological disorders (i.e., stroke, head injury, dementia). It classifies the type and severity of aphasia disorder (if present) and gives a clinically valid baseline for diagnosis, prognosis, and research.
 
Age range: 18 to 89 years
 
Completion time: 30-45 minutes, additional 45-60 minutes for the reading, writing, praxis, and construction sections  
Comments/Special Instructions
NeuroRehab Specific: The Full Battery of Western Aphasia Battery-Revised is recommended instead of the Bedside Western Aphasia Battery-Revised.
Scoring and Psychometric Properties
Scoring: The WAB-R uses a criterion cut score norm. (Pearson Education Inc., 2020) Available scores and composites include:
    • Full Battery, Part 1: Aphasia Quotient (AQ), Aphasia Classification

    • Full Battery, Part 2 (Supplemental): Language Quotient (LQ), Cortical Quotient (CQ)

 
The AQ is used to measure overall aphasia severity. The LQ measures spoken and written language performance. The CQ combines linguistic and nonlinguistic performance.
 
Psychometric Properties: High internal consistency measures and high test-retest reliability argue for stability of the test both because its parts contribute to the composite index and because of its temporal reliability. Inter- and intra-judge reliability are both very high, suggesting consistent scoring within and between scorers. The WAB satisfies face- and content-validity criteria. Results from the WAB and the Neurosensory Center Comprehensive Examination for Aphasia (NCCEA) highly correlate, indicating good construct validity. WAB AQ scores and Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices scores significantly correlate, suggesting that the language portions of the WAB are not totally independent from nonverbal functioning. WAB AQ scores reliably differentiate between aphasic and control groups, with only a small overlap for high functioning anomic aphasic subjects.
References
Kertesz A. Western aphasia battery revised. San Antonio, TX: Harcourt Assessment. 2006.
 
Pearson Education, Inc. WAB™-R Brochure. (2020).
 
Shewan CM, Kertesz A. Reliability and validity characteristics of the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB). J Speech Hear Disord. 1980;45(3):308-324.
 
Williamson DS, Richman M, Redmond SC. Applying the Correlation Between Aphasia Severity and Quality of Life Measures to a Life Participation Approach to Aphasia. Top Stroke Rehabil. 2015;18(2):101-105.
 
Document last updated January 2022