Question 1: "How do I recognize if a person has aphasia?"

Aphasia affects people in different ways. They may have little or no speech. They may be unable to come up with the right words. Or they may mix up their words or utter nonsense words. They may find it hard to understand what others are saying, resulting in misunderstandings. Reading and writing may be difficult or impossible. The person with aphasia may also be frustrated, angry or depressed because they cannot communicate.

Question 2: "What type of brain injury causes aphasia?"

Aphasia results from injury to the speech and language centres of the brain. These centres primarily reside in the left frontal part of the brain. You may hear aphasia described in terms such as Broca's aphasia or Wernicke's aphasia. These descriptions relate to specific brain centres that have been damaged (Broca's area or Wernicke's area are the most common).

Question 3: "Does aphasia affect intelligence?"

Aphasia does not affect intelligence or social manners. People with aphasia still have their intelligence and creativity intact. They know what they want to say.

Question 4: "How long does it take to recover speech?"

Each situation is different. No one can predict how much speech will be recovered. Speech recovery depends on the location and size of the brain injury, age, therapy, motivation. Some people do not recover speech, likely due to the size and location of their injury. Others continue to improve slowly for many years.

Question 5: "What can I do to help someone with aphasia?"

You can use communication strategies to help the person with aphasia to have a meaningful conversation. It is important to reinforce and encourage all means of expression: gestures, pointing, facial expressions, drawing, communication book/board, speech, writing… whatever works to communicate! For more info on communication strategies click here