Aphasia

Aphasia is a condition that occurs when the parts of the brain that process language are damaged. As a result, people with aphasia may have trouble speaking, listening, reading, and/or writing. There are many different kinds of aphasia, including expressive, receptive, and global. Aphasia may be mild or severe. Someone with mild aphasia may be able to carry on a normal conversation but may struggle to understand complex language and choose the right words to express his or her thoughts. Someone with severe aphasia may not be able to understand anything that is said, may not say anything at all, and may repeat common words and phrases, like “yes,” “no,” “hi,” and “thank you.” A speech-language pathologist will perform an evaluation to identify the type and severity of aphasia. This evaluation may include an assessment of speech, comprehension, expression, social communication, reading, and writing. Based on the results of this evaluation, the speech language pathologist will develop a treatment plan to help a person with aphasia reach his or her language goals. Treatment may involve drills and exercises to improve language skills, group therapy sessions to practice social conversation skills, and alternative communication training, like gesturing and drawing, to aid expression.