Everything You Need to Know About Aphasia

Types of aphasia

Aphasia is broadly divided into two types: fluent and non-fluent, which have subtypes. A few of the most common ones include:

• Expressive aphasia, also called Broca’s aphasia, is a non-fluent aphasia. Those with this type of aphasia often have a right-side weakness or paralysis. They may understand speech and know what they want to say but have difficulty saying the words. Because they typically understand the speech of others and their own difficulties fairly well, they can become frustrated and discouraged.

• Comprehensive aphasia, also called Wernicke’s aphasia, is a fluent aphasia. People may speak in long sentences that don’t make sense and use unnecessary and even made-up words, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

• Primary progressive aphasia is an umbrella term for several types of aphasia that usually develop slowly and gradually impair the person’s ability to read, write and speak. It typically has an underlying neurological cause such as frontal temporal dementia. Due to the slow progression, it can be hard to diagnose.

Diagnosis and treatment

Experts say it’s crucial to diagnose aphasia early.

When the cause isn’t obvious, doctors may test a person’s ability to speak and understand language by ordering a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test or a computed tomography (CT) scan to identify the location of the injury in the brain. Then a speech pathologist will do an evaluation of the person’s ability to read, write, answer questions, name objects and converse.

Treatment almost always includes speech therapy, but the best treatment for aphasia depends on the underlying cause of the condition.

When someone comes to the emergency room with aphasia caused by a stroke, they are often given clot-busting medications that can lessen the long-term effects of the stroke. About a third of strokes result in aphasia, according to the National Aphasia Association. People who have had a stroke can typically improve their speech over time with the help of speech therapy.

Alzheimer’s patients receive treatment for that disease. Primary progressive aphasia has no cure, though patients who work with speech therapists can sometimes slow the progression of the loss of speech.

Helping those with aphasia

Because many people with aphasia are thinking clearly but can’t communicate well, those around them sometimes think they have lost their intelligence when they haven’t. “People who have aphasia can seem more cognitively impaired than they really are,” Botha says.

Speech therapists can work with family members to help them understand how best to communicate with loved ones with aphasia. It helps to keep sentences and questions simple, Botha says. Try to be in the same room when speaking with someone who has aphasia, so they can read your body language. Avoid correcting the person’s speech. Radio, television, noisy restaurants and other distractions can make it harder for those with aphasia to communicate and pay attention.

Bonakdarpour says it’s important that those with aphasia stay active. While often the left side of the brain is damaged, the right side may be healthy. Painting, drawing and even singing are activities that those with aphasia can enjoy and even excel in. Rather than ignoring or speaking over someone with aphasia, it’s better to speak slowly and clearly and wait for their reaction. Help them feel valued and included. “Isolation is the worst thing that can happen,” he says. “Isolation makes brain disease worse. The less you use the brain, the worse it gets.”