Aphasia Awareness What it is and What You Can Do to Help

June is National Aphasia Awareness month. Most people have never heard of it until they suffer a stroke, brain tumor, or head injury. Aphasia affects approximately one million Americans, or one in 250 people. This article explains what aphasia is and what you can do to help those who live with it.

What is aphasia?

Aphasia is a communication disorder that impairs a person's ability to process language, speak and understand others. Most people will also experience difficulty reading and writing. About 25 to 40% of stroke survivors will have this disorder.

How is aphasia diagnosed?

A neurologist is typically the doctor who diagnoses it. The tests a neurologist will perform to diagnose aphasia are, having the person follow commands, answering questions, naming objects and carrying on a conversation.

Many people also have weakness or paralysis on the right side of their body. When a person has aphasia, it is due to damage on the left side of the brain which controls the right side of the body.

How is aphasia treated?

Aphasia is most commonly treated by referral to a speech-language pathologist. The pathologist will perform a thorough exam of a person's communication abilities. The exam will consist of gauging a person's ability to speak, express ideas, converse socially, understand language, read, write and use alternative forms of communication.

Computer-assisted therapy can help retrieve certain parts of speech, such as the use of verbs. It also provides an alternative way of communicating.

What can you do to help?

If you someone you know has aphasia, here are some things you can do to help.

- Give the person time to speak. Do not finish sentences unless you are asked.

- Use short, simple sentences, slow your rate of speech, but don't talk down to them. Their intelligence has not been affected, only their ability to speak and understand speech.

- When possible, get rid of background noise, such as radio and tv. It will help the person focus more on what you are saying to them.

- Avoid being overprotective and involve the person with aphasia in family matters and decision-making as much as possible. Be careful not to overwhelm with too much.

- Be open to and encourage use of different forms of communication, such as drawing, gesturing, and simple yes/no responses.

Depending on the type of injury and severity of damage to the brain, patients can recover in a few days or have continued improvement over months or years. The most important way you can help someone with aphasia is to encourage, support and love them.

Resources

http://www.aphasia.org/

http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/aphasia.htm