Disability Specific Resources
Information: Aphasia
See also our section on Communication or other disability specific pages on language disorders, brain injury, alexia-disorder of reading, agraphia-disorder of writing, apraxia-disorder of skilled movements or stroke.
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Definition:
- Impairment of the ability to use or comprehend words as well as reading and writing.
- Language disorder resulting from damage to portions of the brain (For most people these are on the left side or left hemisphere of the brain) responsible for language.
- Often the result of a stroke or head injury, but may occur in the case of a brain tumor.
- Sometimes occurs with speech disorders such as dysarthria or apraxia of speech.
Types
Broca's Aphasia
Damage to the frontal lobe of the brain.
Wernicke's aphasia
Damage to the temporal lobe may result in a fluent aphasia
Global Aphasia
Damage to extensive portions of the language areas of the brain.
Severe communication difficulties
Causes:
- Trauma/accident to the brain -from factory, farm, or power tool accidents or from motor vehicle accidents, natural disasters, war and terrorist attacks.
- Stroke, when blood is unable to reach a part of the brain.
- Brain Tumors
- Degenerative
Characteristics:
- Impairment of the ability to use, express or understand or comprehend words or language as well as reading or writing.
Statistics:
- Anyone, men and women equally, most are affected in their middle to late years, One million people in the United States.
Approximately 80,000 individuals acquire aphasia each year.
Diagnosis:
- The neurologist will ask the patient with brain injury, stroke of brain tumor to converse, answer questions, name objects or understand commands. If the physician suspects aphasia, they will refer one to a speech-language pathologist who will perform a more comprehensive test to determine language difficulties.
Prevention:
- Prevent brain injury: safe driving, safety helmet when biking, factory, farm and power tool safety.
- Prevent stroke.
Recovery
Recovery varies due to degree of injury, location of injury, health of patient, and age of patient.
Awareness
- People are more alike than they are different.
- Identify and develop an appreciation for each persons strengths and accomplishments.
- Become aware of the affect on daily activities.
Viewpoint
Aphasia is an effect of a brain injury, brain trauma or stroke.
The person with aphasia can become very frustrated because they can still think, inside they are making sense to themselves, they may even feel that they are saying words so others can understand, when in reality the words are coming out jumbled or incoherent.
The person communicating with the person who has aphasia needs to understand the above and communicate directly with the person, do not refer to them in the third person. Often a single word or they will find other creative ways of expressing themselves that will indicate that they are aware of the meaning of the conversation.
On-Line Discussion
Visit our NHU Community Forum on Aphasia for more insights, awareness, viewpoints, experiences, needs and solutions.
Needs and Solutions
- Emergency and critical care management
- Surgery
- Comprehensive examination of the person's ability to understand, speak, read and write.
- Rehab: patient and family education, speech and language therapy
From the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders offers the following tips to
families:
- Simplify language by using short uncomplicated sentences.
- Repeat the content words or write down key words to clarify meaning as needed.
- Maintain a natural conversational manner apropriate for an adult.
- Minimize distractions, such as a blaring radio, whenever possible.
- Include the person with aphasia in conversations.
- Ask for and value the opinion of the person with aphasia, especially regarding family matters.
- Encourage any type of communication, whether it is speech, gesture, pointing or drawing.
Learn More about Aphasia
References
For more on the topic of Aphasia
If you have questions or ideas, information and solutions that you would like to share
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[Updated November 30, 2008]
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