ABSTRACT
This chapter is a comprehensive reference manual providing information on the Frenchay Aphasia Screening Test (FAST), which is an objective, clinician-administered test, designed to provide “a short, simple and standardized method of identifying and gauging language deficit to assist diagnostic accuracy and to give information upon which management decisions could be based”. The aim was to develop an instrument suitable for administration by non-specialist clinicians, including general practitioners and junior medical staff. The clinical group of interest is people with aphasia, predominantly from stroke, but the FAST has also been used with people with traumatic brain injury. A brief history of the instrument's development is provided, along with a description of item content and administration/scoring procedures. Psychometric properties are reviewed and a critical commentary is provided. Key references are cited and in most cases the actual scale is included, giving the reader easy access to the instrument.
