The Indented Paragraph Reading Test in the assessment of left hemi-neglect

We investigated the validity of the Indented Paragraph Reading Test (IPRT), designed to assess left hemi-neglect (LHN) in reading behavior, with regard to education effects, scoring properties, and sensitivity to recovery of LHN. The IPRT was administered aspart of a larger battery to 50 right-hemisphere stroke patients approximately 1, 2, 3, and 7 months post-stroke if, and only if, the patient demonstrated LHN on the previous test battery. Contrary to expectations, performance on the IPRT was not correlated with education and even patients with minimal formal education were able to complete the test. We demonstrated that the author's suggested scoring criterion was valid and sensitive to the presence of LHN as well as to its recovery over time.