June is aphasia awareness month! Aphasia is a term quite familiar to speech language pathologists, but research shows that approximately 85% of Americans say they have never heard of aphasia. You know how people say no two snowflakes are alike? The same is true with aphasia- no two people with aphasia are exactly alike. So what is aphasia exactly?

Basics of Aphasia:

• Aphasia is an acquired communication disorder that is caused by damage to the language centers of the brain 
• Characterized by difficulty with expressive language (speaking/communicating ideas), receptive language (understanding/comprehending ideas), or both
• Often affects reading and writing since these are also forms of language 
• Ranges from mild to severe and presentation of communication difficulties varies with each person 
• Presentation and type of aphasia typically corresponds to the area of the brain that was injured (for example, damage to Broca’s area in the brain leads to expressive aphasia)
• A separate type of aphasia that is caused by neurodegenerative diseases is called primary progressive aphasia
• Treatment for aphasia includes speech therapy to rehabilitate language skills and determine the most functional and effective communication tools

Causes of Aphasia:

• Stroke (large majority)
• Traumatic brain injury
• Brain tumor
• Brain infection
• Other neurological conditions

Communication Tips for Interacting with a Person with Aphasia:

• Be patient and give the person additional time to communicate ideas or understand what is being said
• Do not “talk down” to the person
• Enhance communication as needed with gestures, pictures, writing things down, use of technology, etc. 
• Simplify communication if possible- use shorter/less complex sentences, emphasize key words, etc. 
• Minimize environmental distractions
• Continue to engage the person in conversations and social activities- just because a person has difficulty communicating doesn’t mean he/she wants to communicate less! 

This video from the National Aphasia Association provides a great summary:

Sources: 

National Aphasia Association: https://aphasia.org/ 

ASHA information page on aphasia: https://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/aphasia/