APHASIA

Aphasia is a speech disorder where a person has trouble in formulating words, losing the ability to write, speak and read and trouble in finding the words. It also affects the visual sign language. In aphasia, an individual’s language cognition is affected i.e. the thought process that goes behind the verbal speech is affected.

Causes:

The cause is due to damage to the part of the brain that control language and word formation i.e. regions of the left hemisphere of the brain and other causes include

Causes include:

• Stroke
• Tumors
• Trauma to the brain
• Herpes encephalitis
• Dementia
• Damage to the thalamus, subcortical, caudate nucleus
• Epilepsy

Types of Aphasia:

• WERNICKE’S APHASIA: causes individuals to speak long sentences which are meaningless by using and adding unnecessary words.
• BROCA’S APHASIA: causes an individual to frequently speak short, meaningful phrases which are nonfluent in nature.
• ANOMIC APHASIA: causes difficulty in naming words.
• TRANSCORTICAL SENSORY APHASIA: causes the same effect as in receptive aphasia but repetition ability is intact.
• GLOBAL APHASIA: causes difficulty in expressive language, reading, writing
• CONDUCTION APHASIA: causes problem in the speech comprehension and production areas
• PROGRESSIVE APHASIA: is neurodegenerative focal dementia associated with dementia where there is a gradual progressive loss in the ability to think.

Symptoms:

• Inability to formulate words.
• Not able to comprehend language.
• Difficulty in naming
• Inability to read, write.
• Speaking in unnecessarily long sentences which are meaningless
• Limited verbal output
• Speech disorder
• Agrammatism
• Incomplete sentences
• Repetition of one word or phrases

Diagnosis:

• Complete psychological evaluation by the neurologist by asking the symptoms and taking tests to confirm the diagnosis.

Treatment:

• COPY AND RECALL THERAPY: by repetition and recall of the target word can improve word reading and writing.
• VISUAL COMMUNICATION THERAPY: helps in the use of visual signals such as index cards.
• MELODIC INTONATION THERAPY: Uses musical speech to improve the expressive language to treat nonfluent aphasia
• AUGMENTATIVE AND ALTERNATIVE COMMUNICATION: it replaces natural communication like language and replaces it with communication symbols, drawings.
• PROMOTING APHASICS COMMUNICATION EFFECTIVENESS: to improve conversation skills.
• CONVERSATIONAL COACHING: to teach verbal and non-verbal communication skills with aphasia and their spouse or friend by using drawing, cueing, gesturing.