In this Article

• What is aphasia?
• Who has aphasia?
• What causes aphasia?
• How is aphasia diagnosed?
• How is aphasia treated?
• What research is being done for aphasia?
• Aphasia Glossary
• Aphasia Index

How is aphasia diagnosed?

Aphasia is usually first recognized by the physician who treats the individual for his or her brain injury. Frequently this is a neurologist. The physician typically performs tests that require the individual to follow commands, answer questions, name objects, and converse. If the physician suspects aphasia, the individual is often referred to a speech-language pathologist, who performs a comprehensive examination of the person's ability to understand, speak, read, and write.

How is aphasia treated?

In some instances an individual will completely recover from aphasia without treatment. This type of "spontaneous recovery" usually occurs following a transient ischemic attack (TIA), a kind of stroke in which the blood flow to the brain is temporarily interrupted but quickly restored. In these circumstances, language abilities may return in a few hours or a few days. For most cases of aphasia, however, language recovery is not as quick or as complete. While many individuals with aphasia also experience a period of partial spontaneous recovery (in which some language abilities return over a period of a few days to a month after the brain injury), some amount of aphasia typically remains. In these instances, speech-language therapy is often helpful. Recovery usually continues over a 2-year period. Most people believe that the most effective treatment begins early in the recovery process. Some of the factors that influence the amount of improvement include the cause of the brain damage, the area of the brain that was damaged, the extent of the brain injury, and the age and health of the individual. Additional factors include motivation, handedness, and educational level.

Aphasia therapy strives to improve an individual's ability to communicate by helping the person to use remaining abilities, to restore language abilities as much as possible, to compensate for language problems, and to learn other methods of communicating. Treatment may be offered in individual or group settings. Individual therapy focuses on the specific needs of the person. Group therapy offers the opportunity to use new communication skills in a comfortable setting. Stroke clubs, which are regional support groups formed by individuals who have had a stroke, are available in most major cities. These clubs also offer the opportunity for individuals with aphasia to try new communication skills. In addition, stroke clubs can help the individual and his or her family adjust to the life changes that accompany stroke and aphasia. Family involvement is often a crucial component of aphasia treatment so that family members can learn the best way to communicate with their loved one.

Family members are encouraged to:

• Simplify language by using short, uncomplicated sentences.
• Repeat the content words or write down key words to clarify meaning as needed.
• Maintain a natural conversational manner appropriate for an adult.
• Minimize distractions, such as a blaring radio, whenever possible.
• Include the person with aphasia in conversations.
• Ask for and value the opinion of the person with aphasia, especially regarding family matters.
• Encourage any type of communication, whether it is speech, gesture, pointing, or drawing.
• Avoid correcting the individual's speech.
• Allow the individual plenty of time to talk.
• Help the individual become involved outside the home. Seek out support groups such as stroke clubs.

From the Doctors at MedicineNet.com

Brain Tumor - Read about brain tumor symptoms such as headaches, nausea or vomiting, balance and walking problems, mood and personality changes, memory problems, and numbness or tingling in the legs. Source:Government Stroke - Learn about strokes. A stroke is the sudden death of brain cells due to a problem with the blood supply. Source:MedicineNet Landau-Kleffner Syndrome - Get information on Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS, infantile acquired aphasia) diagnosis (EEG), signs (epileptic seizures, speech loss, auditory agnosia) and treatment. Source:Government Read 8 more Aphasia related articles ... Learning Disabilities May Presage Later Language Problems