What Is Aphasia?

Aphasia is a neurological condition caused by impairment to the parts of the brain that produce and process language. A person suffering from aphasia may have difficulty speaking, reading, writing, and understanding language. These abilities can be impaired in a variety of ways, ranging from minor to severe which makes it nearly impossible to communicate in any form. Some persons with aphasia struggle with only one aspect of speech, such as fitting words together to form coherent phrases, reading, or understanding what others are saying. People with aphasia are frequently limited in more than one area of communication. Almost all patients with aphasia struggle with word-finding that is, naming people, places, things, or events correctly.

Each individual’s experience with aphasia is distinct; it is determined by the location of the stroke or brain injury that caused the aphasia, the level of damage, the person’s age, general health, and recovery capabilities. Aphasia can affect anyone, regardless of age; however, it is more common in people in their forties and fifties. According to the National Aphasia Association, roughly 1 million persons in the United States suffer aphasia. Furthermore, around 180,000 people are diagnosed with aphasia each year.

Types of Aphasia

There are various varieties of aphasia. Each can cause disability ranging from minor to severe. The following are examples of common forms of aphasia:

Aphasia of Expression (Non-Fluent)

The person with expressive aphasia knows what they want to say but has difficulty communicating it to others. It makes no difference whether the person is attempting to talk or write what they are attempting to communicate.

Anomic Aphasia

The person suffering from anomic aphasia has difficulty finding words. This is known as anomia. Because of the challenges, the person finds it difficult to find the appropriate words for speaking and writing.

Global Aphasia

This is the most serious kind of aphasia. It is frequently observed immediately following a stroke. The individual with global aphasia has difficulty speaking and understanding words. Furthermore, the individual is unable to read or write. Aphasia after a stroke may improve with adequate therapy.

Receptive Aphasia

Receptive aphasia is a type of aphasia that affects communication. The individual with receptive aphasia can hear a voice or read print but may not understand the message. Receptive aphasia sufferers frequently take language literally. Because they don’t grasp their own language, their speech may be distorted.

Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA)

Primary progressive aphasia is an uncommon disorder in which people gradually lose their ability to speak, read, write, and comprehend what they hear in conversation. There is no cure for primary progressive aphasia. People with primary progressive aphasia can communicate through means other than speech. They could, for example, employ gestures. In addition, many people benefit from a mix of speech therapy and medicines.

What Causes Aphasia?

Aphasia is as a result of damage to one or more of the language regions of the brain.. A stroke is the most common cause of a brain damage. A stroke happens when a blood clot or a leaking or burst artery cuts off blood flow to a portion of the brain. When brain cells do not receive their usual supply of blood, which provides oxygen and vital nutrients, they die. Other causes of brain injury include severe blows to the head, brain tumors, gunshot wounds, brain infections, and degenerative neurological illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Symptoms of Aphasia

The symptoms of aphasia differ, depending on the part of the brain affected, the size of the afflicted area, and the kind of aphasia. Among the possible symptoms are:

• Even if the person is familiar with the objects, places, events, or people, he or she has difficulty naming them.
• When speaking or writing, difficulty expressing oneself or finding the perfect words)
• Conversation is difficult to grasp
• Reading Difficulties
• Spelling difficulties
• Removing tiny words from speech such as “the,” “of,” and “was”
• Putting words in the incorrect order
• Using different sounds in words
• Saying the incorrect word or substituting an incorrect word
• Speech that is confined to a few syllables or that repeatedly repeats the same words or phrases
• Having difficulty fitting words together to form sentences
• Problems with numbers or math
• Being oblivious to errors in one’s spoken language
• Speaking solely in brief phrases that require a lot of effort
• Speaking in a single sentence
• Inventing new words

Treatment for Aphasia

If the brain damage is minor, a person’s language skills may recover without treatment. Most people, however, receive speech and language therapy to help them repair their language skills and enhance their communication experiences. Researchers are now exploring the use of drugs to aid persons with aphasia, either alone or in conjunction with speech therapy.

Medications for Aphasia

Aphasia is treated using medications that are actively being researched. These include medications that may boost blood flow to the brain, improve the brain’s ability to recover, or aid in the replacement of depleted substances in the brain (neurotransmitters).

Speech and Language Therapy

Language skills recovery is typically a slow process. Although the majority of people make great progress, only a small percentage of people restore their pre-injury communication skills. Speech and language therapy for aphasia seeks to enhance the person’s capacity to communicate by restoring as much language as possible, training how to make up for lost language skills, and identifying alternative communication strategies.

How to Prevent Aphasia

In general, aphasia cannot be avoided, however, lowering your chance of preventable brain injury, such as stroke, and taking efforts to maintain brain health as much as possible is always sound advice for living a long and healthy life. Healthy living entails eating well, exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, limiting alcohol use, keeping blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels within normal ranges, quitting smoking, and getting enough sleep.

Complications of Aphasia

Aphasia affects many parts of life, from personal relationships to economic well-being, because communication is so important in everyday life. It can leave the patient upset and distressed, and it can make their loved ones irritable. Aphasia, when combined with the other consequences of stroke, can lead to depression.

A person suffering with aphasia is encouraged to attend support groups and to find someone to assist them in practicing their communication skills. If they believe they are at risk of depression, they should consult with their doctor about treatment options.

Coping with Aphasia

If you or someone you know has aphasia, the following strategies can help you communicate more effectively:

• Before you say anything, get their attention.
• Maintain eye contact.
• Take note of their body language.
• Talk in a peaceful place.
• Don’t yell any louder. People who have aphasia can hear normally.
• Use basic language.
• Shorten your phrases and repeat key words.
• Speak gently.
• Allow them time to respond.
• If words aren’t working, try drawings, gestures, writing, or facial expressions.
• If they are having difficulty, ask them to sketch, write, or point.
• Pose yes/no questions.
• Allow them to make mistakes and attempt new things.

Now that you Know…

The origin of the brain injury, the size and location of the brain damage, as well as the affected person’s age and health, all have a role in outcome and brain recovery. Because of these characteristics, the degree and speed with which language and communication skills recover vary from person to person. If a stroke is the underlying cause of the aphasia, language abilities can occasionally recover to normal within hours or days. Others who have had a stroke may experience language challenges for the rest of their lives, ranging from mild, subtle impairments to substantial aphasia. Language and communication abilities will deteriorate over time if the aphasia is caused by a neurodegenerative disorder such as dementia. Avoiding variables that can lead to such problems is therefore critical, and you will be well on your way to living a healthy life.