Treatment for Aphasia Can Lead to Better Communication
It’s difficult to watch a loved one lose their speech. One common cause of this is aphasia, a disorder that affects language comprehension and expression. At Fuel Medical Group LLC, we provide custom treatment so patients with aphasia can strengthen their ability to communicate with the people around them.
What Is Aphasia?
Aphasia is a disorder that causes difficulties reading, writing and speaking. There are three types of aphasia:
- Expressive aphasia causes people to struggle to say words.
- Comprehensive aphasia causes people to speak in sentences that don’t make sense.
- Global aphasia causes difficulties forming words and sentences, along with poor comprehension.
What Are the Symptoms of Aphasia?
- Using sentences that don’t make sense
- Substituting one word for another
- Speaking or writing in incomplete sentences
- Using unrecognizable words
- Struggling to understand conversations
How Common Is Aphasia?
According to the National Aphasia Association, 2 million people in the United States have aphasia, and almost 180,000 people are diagnosed each year.
What Causes Aphasia?
The most common cause of aphasia is brain damage as a result of a stroke or injury.
How Is Aphasia Treated?
Aphasia is typically treated with speech and language therapy. Specific activities will depend on the patient’s needs, but the goal is to help them practice language skills and learn new ways of communication. This may include one-on-one, group or computer-assisted therapy. Family members are often included in treatment so they can learn ways of supporting this process outside of sessions. Our audiologist will partner with your family to create a customized treatment plan and answer any questions you have about the condition or its treatment. We’re here to support you through this process.
What New Treatments Are Under Consideration?
Tests are currently underway for medications to treat aphasia, though additional research is necessary before they become widespread. Additional areas of research include using imaging to determine how normal and damaged brains process language and ways of noninvasive brain stimulation.
What Are the Next Steps?
It can be isolating to not be able to communicate what’s on your mind or to watch a loved one be in that situation. If you or someone in your life are experiencing the symptoms of aphasia, we’re here to help. At Fuel Medical Group LLC, we can provide diagnosis and treatment. You and your family aren’t in this alone.
A variety of symptoms are associated with aphasia, depending on the extent of brain damage as well as the area affected. You may speak in short or incomplete sentences, use words or sentences that don’t make sense, have trouble understanding what other people are saying, write sentences that don’t make sense, and interpret figurative language literally.
There are three main types of aphasia:
- Expressive or nonfluent aphasia: you know what you want to say but have trouble saying it, struggling to get words out or speaking in short, incomplete sentences. You may comprehend what others are saying to some degree. You are often aware of your own communication difficulties and become frustrated.
- Receptive or fluent aphasia: you hear the voice or see the print, but can’t decipher the meaning of the words. You may speak fluently, but your sentences may be rambling and nonsensical. You usually can’t comprehend spoken language, and may not realize that other people can’t understand what you’re saying.
- Global aphasia: you can’t speak, comprehend speech, read or write.
How Is Aphasia Treated?
Following a CT scan or MRI, a speech-language pathologist (SLP) will evaluate you to determine the type and severity of aphasia through a series of tests measuring your ability to communicate. They will assess your speech, comprehension, expression, social communication, reading and writing. You may be asked to name common objects, repeat words and sentences, follow instructions, tell a story or explain a joke, read and write words and sentences and engage in conversation.
The mildest forms of aphasia might not require treatment, as language skills often return on their own. Most individuals will need speech and language therapy to rehabilitate their communication skills. The process is long, and few people are able to fully regain their pre-injury abilities.
Currently, tests are underway for medications to treat aphasia. While some drugs look promising, additional research is needed before they become commonplace.
Call Fuel Medical Group LLC for more information or to schedule an appointment.