Aphasia is a language and communication disorder affecting around a third of people who have a stroke, according to the Stroke Association.
The condition is typically caused by damage to the left-hand side of the brain.
People with aphasia may have difficulty communicating at home or at work or while engaging in social interactions.
The condition does not affect intelligence but people with aphasia may be difficult to understand due to jumbled and fragmented speech.
As well as speaking, people with aphasia may have difficulties:
- Understanding speech
- Reading and/or writing
- Using money
- Telling the time
- Using numbers
Broca’s aphasia (non-fluent aphasia)
This is where an individual struggles to find and say the right word despite knowing what it is that they want to say.
People with the condition may only be able to say single words or short sentences. They can struggle to formulate sounds and have difficulty writing, but are still able to read and understand speech.
Wernicke’s aphasia (fluent aphasia)
People with Wernicke’s aphasia can speak fluently but what they say may not make sense. Their sentences will sound correct in their head but be nonsensical to others.
This disconnect can make Wernicke’s aphasia very frustrating to those affected.
They may also be able to see and hear words but not understand them, according to WebMD.
Writing is also affected.
Anomic aphasia
This is the mildest of the aphasias, according to the Textbook of Clinical Neurology.
People with the condition may struggle to find a specific word they are searching for. This manifests in writing as well as speech.
Their speech is often features lost of ‘filler’ words such ‘um’, ‘like’ and so on.
Treatment and recovery
Speech and language therapy is the most common treatment, according to the NHS.
This treatment aims to help restore some of your ability to communicate, but the success of the treatment will vary person to person.
Many people continue to show language improvement years after their stroke, according to guidance by the Stroke Association.
People may experience improvements after having lived with the condition for a decade or more, even if this improvement does not seem obvious to others.
Supporting a friend, colleague or loved one
The Aphasia Alliance offers some great tips for communicating with people with the condition.
Some verbal communication tips include:
Conversations
- Avoid background noise where possible
- Make eye contact with the person
- Speak clearly
- Have paper and pen available for both parties
- Write down key words
- Use maps, calendars and photos (e.g. family members) to show what you are talking about
- Encourage the person to communicate in any way he/she can
Public speaking
- Use short clear sentences
- Speak clearly
- Pitch – speak loud enough so that all can hear
- Vary your tone of voice – don’t speak at a monotone
- Pause – pause occasionally
- Signal a change of topic
- Clarify from time to time – rephrase when necessary
Art of Conversation with Aphasia
This eight-week creative wellbeing course was set up to help people with aphasia to have more successful and enjoyable conversations.
The course was put together by University College London (UCL), the De La Warr Pavilion and the charity SayAphasia.
The programme draws on research from UCL’s Better Conversation Research Lab, led by Dr Suzanne BeekeAssociate Professor, UCL Department of Language and Cognition and embeds the latest conversation training in arts and culture.
The team are now looking to expand the programme to support more people with aphasia.
