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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffAphasia is a condition that robs you of the ability to communicate. Aphasia can affect your ability to express and understand language, both verbal and written. The amount of disability depends on the location and the severity of the brain damage that is the cause.
Aphasia typically occurs suddenly, after a stroke or a head injury. But it can also come on gradually, from a slowly growing brain tumor or a degenerative disease.
Once the underlying cause has been treated, the primary treatment for aphasia is speech therapy that focuses on relearning and practicing language skills and using alternative or supplementary communication methods. Family members often participate in the therapy process and function as communication partners of the person with aphasia.
- Aphasia. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/aphasia.htm. Accessed Jan. 18, 2010.
- Aphasia: Benefits of speech-language pathology services. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/AphasiaSLPBenefits.htm. Accessed Jan. 19, 2010.
- Aphasia. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/Aphasia.htm. Accessed Jan. 18, 2010.
- Aphasia. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec16/ch210/ch210d.html. Accessed Jan. 18, 2010.
- Mesulam MM. Aphasia, memory loss, and other focal cerebral disorders. In: Fauci AS, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 17th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2007. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2886863. Accessed Jan. 18, 2010.
- Clark DG. Aphasia: Prognosis and treatment. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 18, 2010.
- NINDS aphasia information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/aphasia/aphasia.htm. Accessed Jan. 18, 2010.
- Tips for socializing with aphasia. American Stroke Association. http://www.strokeassociation.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3030118. Accessed Jan. 19, 2010.
- Edythe Strand, Ph.D. (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Feb. 1, 2010.
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