Aphasia is a language disorder or impairment which affects many people. Today’s Speech and Language blog provides some interesting facts which you might not have known about the condition.
– Aphasia is a language disorder that is caused by damage to area of the brain that controls language.
– Aphasia is an acquired communication disorder, meaning you cannot be born with it.
-Aphasia occurs as a result of damage to the brain, commonly associated with stroke, brain tumour, traumatic brain injury and Parkinson’s disease.
– 25% – 40% of stroke survivors will experience the condition.
– Aphasia is not a loss of intelligence even though it can sometimes seem this way
– Aphasia can affect expressive language or receptive language (comprehension) or both and range from mild to severe depending on the extent of damage to the brain.
People with Aphasia find it difficult to:
Express and understand words
Read, write or gesture
Name familiar things
Communicate their feelings, thoughts and emotions.
– People often experience higher levels of social isolation and may feel people avoid communication with them because it will be too challenging.
– Aphasia is twice as common as Parkinson’s disease but is less understood and yet does not have the same level of awareness
– People can often regain some or all of their communication ability that was affected by Aphasia through rehab like speech and language therapy
– A person’s recovery from Aphasia is highly dependent on their own commitment to their rehab and treatment. Support from family and friends can help keep them stay motivated, as can a positive attitude and active lifestyle.
