I spoke at a brain injury and stroke support group a couple nights ago on the topic of aphasia and wanted to share this wonderful video from the National Aphasia Association as an additional resource for how to communicate with a person who has aphasia. For more information about aphasia, check out my previous post here.

What I love about this video is it takes the word “aphasia” and turns it into a mnemonic of seven communication strategies, one for each letter of the word aphasia. An example of a common mnemonic memory device you may have heard of is “HOMES” to remember the Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior). Mnemonics allow our brains to make connections or associations with something we are familiar with, leading to increased memory recall and retrieval of that information.

Here is the video and the 7 strategies are also listed below:

A few key points from the video that I love:

• Acknowledging the person’s frustration or acknowledging “I know that you know what you’re trying to say, you are just having trouble getting it out” can really go a long way.
• It is better to ask for clarification than pretend you understand the message when you really don’t! This shows you want to understand and build a connection with the person with aphasia. 
• When we interact with someone who has a communication disorder, it opens up an opportunity to slow down and really listen to that person. In a world where we often feel the pressure of being in a hurry to do everything, slowing down is one of the best things we can do for ourselves and others. 

Sources: National Aphasia Association

https://aphasia.org/