Comprehensive Communication Partners Services
Aphasia
about
2 MILLION
People in the U.S have
APHASIA
What is Aphasia?
Aphasia is an acquired language disorder resulting from a neurologic event including brain injury, stroke, and progressive neurological diseases. Aphasia manifests in many different forms and degrees of impairment, affecting over 2,000,000 Americans. It is a loss of access to language, not intellect.
Individuals with Aphasia may have difficulty in one or more of the following areas impacting functional communication:
- Understanding - Difficulty comprehending spoken language and information impacts an individual's participation in daily conversations, answering questions, and following directions.
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- Speaking -Impaired ability to express one’s wants and needs may be impacted, often consisting of word finding difficulty and sound/word substitutions. Putting thoughts into an organized, concise manner may be very difficult and the impact can range from challenges in answering basic yes/no questions and sharing highly familiar personalized information, or to conversations of high complexity or when distractions are present, such as in business meetings.
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- Reading - Decreased understanding of written information and ability to read aloud may cause an impact in daily life to being able to read signs in the community, ordering from menus, filling out paperwork, reading novels or even work documents.
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- Writing - Breakdowns in spelling, word selection, and sentence structure may cause an Individual with Aphasia to find it challenging to sign their name, complete paperwork, or respond to text messages/emails.
Language is a core principle of human connection and communication. Whether through speaking, listening, reading, or writing, language is the common thread that almost all daily interactions and responsibilities are formed around. Difficulty expressing one’s thoughts, ideas, experiences, needs, and questions can significantly impact social engagement, personal relationships, self-sufficiency, and employment. Based on an Individual with Aphasia's personal needs, various, individualized communication methods can be explored through personalized, skilled therapy services. These methods may consist of structured exercise programs across all language modalities, personalized practice scenarios, implementation of Augmentative and Alternative Communication supports, and provision of skilled Caregiver training to best utilize total communication strategies. Speech-language therapy services can work with Individuals with Aphasia and their support communities to help improve their access to language and improve their quality of life!