About Aphasia
Aphasia is a language difficulty caused by damage to the brain.
People with aphasia may have difficulty with:
- talking
- listening (understanding what others say)
- reading
- writing
- using numbers
- using gestures
People with aphasia are competent and intelligent.
Aphasia may affect:
- everyday communication
- relationships
- everyday living
Aphasia may also be called:
- dysphasia (dis - phaze - yuh)
- anomia (difficulty finding words)
What causes aphasia?
- Aphasia is caused by stroke or other damage to the language centres of the brain.
- Head injury, tumours, or infections and inflammation in the brain may be other causes.
Remember:
- Aphasia affects every person differently. Some people have only mild difficulties, others have very severe communication problems.
- People with aphasia are competent and intelligent.
- People with aphasia still have thoughts, opinions and emotions.
- People with aphasia can still solve problems.
- People with aphasia can still hear and see.
- People with aphasia can still make decisions.
- People with aphasia often know what they want to say, but have difficulties getting their messages out.
It is important to know that aphasia is not a loss of intelligence.
Aphasia affects not only the person with aphasia, but also their families and friends, and people in their community.
Strategies to help people with aphasia to communicate and participate in everyday life
- Remember to treat people with aphasia as the intelligent adults they are.
- Give people with aphasia lots of time to speak and to understand what has been said.
- Use plain English.
- Avoid speaking too fast.
- Accept when people with aphasia use ways of communicating other than speech such as gestures, writing or drawing.
- Maintain a sense of humour.
The following strategies may also help:
- Ask questions that can be answered with a YES or NO (however, be aware that sometimes people with aphasia confuse these responses).
- Talk in short, clear sentences.
- Don't patronise.
- Reduce background noise and distractions.
- Allow the person with aphasia to speak for himself/herself.
- Include the person with aphasia in conversation. Talk to the person with aphasia, NOT their companion.
- Don't correct mistakes made by the person with aphasia.
- When needed, check you have understood each other.
- Use gestures, writing or drawing.
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