APHASIA
by
Shoroq Hassan alsubhi

W a ht si ha psa ia?
•Aphasia is a communication disorder that results from damage
to the parts of the brain that contain language (typically in the
left half of the brain)
•Aphasia is most commonly seen in adults who have suffered a
stroke but aphasia can also result from a brain tumor, infection,
head injury, or a dementia that damages the brain.
What causes aphasia?
Aphasia is most often caused by stroke. However, any disease
or damage to the parts of the brain that control language can
cause aphasia. These include brain tumors, traumatic brain
injury, and progressive neurological disorders.

What are some signs or symptoms of
aphasia?
Difficulty producing language:
1. Experience difficulty coming up with the words they
want to say
2. Substitute the intended word with another word
that may be related in meaning to the target (e.g.,
"chicken" for "fish") or unrelated (e.g., "radio" for
"ball")
3. Switch sounds within words (e.g., "wish dasher" for
"dishwasher")
4. Use made-up words (e.g., "frigilin" for "hamburger")
5. Have difficulty putting words together to form
sentences

• Difficulty understanding language:
– Misunderstand what others say, especially when they
speak fast (e.g., radio or television news) or in long
sentences
– Find it hard to understand speech in background noise or
in group situations
– Misinterpret jokes and take the literal meaning of
figurative speech (e.g., "it's raining cats and dogs")

• Difficulty reading and writing:
– Difficulty reading forms, pamphlets, books, and other
written material
– Problems spelling and putting words together to write
sentences
– Difficulty understanding number concepts (e.g., telling
time, counting money, adding/subtracting)

Treating aphasia
Sometimes aphasia will improve on its own without treatment, but a type of
treatment called speech and language therapy is usually recommended.
speech and language therapy aims to:
1. help you communicate to the best of your ability
2. help restore as much of your speech and language as possible
3. find alternative ways of communicating

What can I do to communicate better
with the person with aphasia?
• Get the person's attention before you start speaking.
• Keep your voice at a normal level. Do not speak loudly unless the person
asks you to do so
• Simplify your sentence structure and emphasize key words.
• Use "yes" and "no" questions rather than open-ended questions.
• Encourage the person to use drawings, gestures, and writing.
• Eliminate background noise (TV, radio, other people).
• Maintain eye contact and watch the person’s body language and use of
gesture.

THANK TO
YOU ALL 