Aphasia  

Aphasia is the disturbance in formulation and comprehension of language. This class of language disorder ranges from having difficulty remembering words to being completely unable to speak, read, or write. Aphasia is usually linked to brain damage, most commonly by stroke. The brain damage which links aphasia can also cause further brain diseases such as cancer, epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease.
Acute aphasia disorders usually develop quickly as a result of head injury or stroke, and progressive forms of aphasia develop slowly from a brain tumor, infection, or dementia. The area and extent of brain damage or atrophy will determine the type of aphasia and its symptoms. Aphasia types include expressive aphasia, receptive aphasia, conduction aphasia, anomic aphasia, global aphasia, primary progressive aphasias and many others. Medical evaluations for the disorder range from clinical screenings by a neurologist to extensive tests by a Speech-Language Pathologist.
Most acute aphasia patients can recover some or most skills by working with a Speech-Language Pathologist. This rehabilitation can take two or more years and is most effective when begun quickly. Only a small minority will recover without therapy, such as those suffering a mini-stroke. Improvement varies widely, depending on the aphasia's cause, type, and severity. Recovery also depends on the patient's age, health, motivation, handedness, and educational level.

What causes aphasia?

Aphasia is most often caused by stroke. Any disease or damage to the parts of the brain that control language can cause aphasia. These include traumatic brain injury, dementia, illness, and other progressive neurological disorders.

What are some signs or symptoms of aphasia?

Some people with aphasia have trouble using words and sentences (expressive aphasia). Some have problems understanding others (receptive aphasia). Others with aphasia struggle with both using words and understanding (global aphasia).
Aphasia can cause problems with spoken language (talking and understanding) and written language (reading and writing). Typically, reading and writing are more impaired than talking or understanding.
Aphasia may be mild or severe. The severity of communication difficulties depends on the amount and location of the damage to the brain.

Characteristics of Expressive Aphasia

• Speaks only in single words (e.g., names of objects)
• Speaks in short, fragmented phrases
• Omits smaller words like "the," "of," and "and" (so message sounds like a telegram)
• Puts words in wrong order
• Switches sounds and/or words (e.g., bed is called table or dishwasher a "wish dasher")
• Makes up words (e.g., jargon)
• Strings together nonsense words and real words fluently but makes no sense

Characteristics of Receptive Aphasia

• Requires extra time to understand spoken messages (e.g., like translating a foreign language)
• Finds if very hard to follow fast speech (e.g., radio or television news)
• Misinterprets subtleties of language-takes the literal meaning of figurative speech (e.g., "it's raining cats and dogs")
• Is frustrating for the person with aphasia and for the listener—can lead to communication breakdown.