Patients Post Stroke with Aphasia

Aphasia is a neurological disorder resulting from the damage to the parts of the brain that are accountable for verbal communication. Major signs of aphasia include difficulty in expressing oneself when talking, difficulty in perceptive speech, and trouble with reading and writing. Aphasia is not a disease, but an indication of a brain injury. Most frequently seen in adults who have suffered a stroke, aphasia can be a cause of brain tumor, disease, head damage, or dementia that damages the brain. As there are approximately one million people in the U.S. who have aphasia, the type and severity of language dysfunction depends on the lesion and degree of the damaged brain tissue.

There is a considerable number of individuals reported with aphasia who have problems using sentences and words, this is called “expressive aphasia”. Others may experience “receptive aphasia” or have difficulty understanding others. While some may struggle with both understanding and using words “global aphasia”. Aphasia disorder causes those impaired with such, to have issues with the way they understand and talk and the way they write and read. The most common cases of aphasia result in problems with reading and writing as compared to talking and understanding. As aphasia disorder can go from mild to severe, the extent of the damage in the brain results to how severe the communication difficulties would be as well.

Those who have mild aphasia are still able to carry on ordinary conversations in many aspects but may have difficulty discerning language when it becomes long or complex. Anomia (problem in expressing an idea or elucidating words or phrases) or trouble with grasping for words to use can also be observed with those who have mild aphasia. Individuals with severe aphasia may not comprehend anything that they are being told, are only capable of saying a little or nothing at all, and most of the time can only say “yes”, “no”, “thanks”.

The speech-language pathologist (SLP) works collaboratively with the individual’s family and other professionals (doctors, nurses, neuropsychologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, social workers) to address all of the individual’s needs.

The SLP evaluates the individual and determines the type and severity of aphasia. The evaluation is done by assessing the following areas of communication: speech, understanding, expressing, social communication, reading and writing, and other symptoms such as swallowing and even the ability to use an “augmentative or alternative communication aid”.

Therapists at Clear Speech and Language provide systematic drills and exercises for aphasia patients to enhance certain language skills distressed with such brain damage. Aphasia treatment varies depending on the needs of the person with the disorder. Patients are encouraged to make use of their skills where they are stronger and help them capitalize on those stronger skills to eventually enhance other communication skills that they are struggling with.