All About Aphasia
It’s Aphasia Awareness Month!
Let’s first start with a basic question:
🧠 What is aphasia? 🧠
Aphasia is an acquired disorder of language that can impact both our understanding of language and/or our production of language.
It is important to note that aphasia affects language, NOT intelligence.
What causes aphasia? ⁉️
Damage to the brain—most often from stroke, brain injury, or a neurological condition—plays a major role in the presentation of aphasia.
👫People with aphasia may have difficulty with: 👫
- Communicating emotions, thoughts, and ideas
- Word-finding
- Reading
- Writing
- Gesturing (for example, waving or pointing in conversation)
- Following directions
- Understanding what others say
🧍👥 What does this look like in real life? 🧍👥
Someone with aphasia might:
- Produce the wrong word without realizing it (“dog” instead of “dish”)
- Pause and/or take more time to respond in conversation
- Experience difficulty following fast or complex sentences
- Get stuck on certain words
- Experience difficulty writing down a list or reading a sign
- Not be able to recall the name of a familiar object or item
💬 What can we do to help? 💬
- Speak clearly
- Use writing, gestures, and spoken language
- Give ample time to speak or respond
- Understand that aphasia affects language, not intelligence!
- Advocate for aphasia awareness
- Be patient communicators
- You can always continue to get support in speech therapy
Click here for more information: Everyday Communication Tips for Supporting Someone with Aphasia
This June, let’s come together, raise awareness, show support, and most importantly, be patient communicators! Together, we can create a world that understands and includes individuals with aphasia 🩷
Aphasia Resources:
https://aphasia.org/helpful-materials/
Blossom Neuro Aphasia Support Group