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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffYou may initially talk to your family doctor about your difficulties in using and understanding language. He or she may refer you to a neurologist or a speech-language pathologist for further evaluation or treatment.
What you can do
- Write down all your symptoms, including when each one started and whether any activity or task seems to make them worse.
- Make a list of all your medications, including vitamins and supplements.
- Take a family member or friend along to help with communication issues.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor, including what types of tests you might need and what treatments might be helpful.
What to expect from your doctor
What happens during your appointment may vary depending on the type of doctor you're seeing. Your doctor may:
- Ask detailed questions about your symptoms
- Use written or verbal tests to determine the severity of your communication problems
- Test your short-term memory
- Order additional medical tests to rule out other causes of aphasia
- Talk to someone who knows you well, to get more information about your communication problems and any recent changes in your behavior
- Progressive aphasia. The Association for Frontotemporal Dementias. http://www.ftd-picks.org/frontotemporal-dementias/disorders/progressive-aphasia. Accessed May 25, 2010.
- NINDS frontotemporal dementia information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/picks/picks.htm. Accessed May 25, 2010.
- Degenerative diseases of the nervous system. In: Ropper AH, et al. Adams & Victor's Principles of Neurology. 9th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw Hill: 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=3639106&searchStr=aphasia%2c+primary+progressive. Accessed May 25, 2010.
- Semantic dementia. The Association for Frontotemporal Dementias. http://www.ftd-picks.org/frontotemporal-dementias/disorders/semantic-dementia. Accessed May 25, 2010.
- Rogalski E, et al. Increased frequency of learning disability in patients with primary progressive aphasia and their first-degree relatives. Archives of Neurology. 2008;65:24.
- Haugarvoll K, et al. The genetics of frontotemporal dementia. Neurologic Clinics. 2007;25:697.
- Craft S, et al. Cognitive changes associated with normal and pathological aging. In: Halter JB, et al. Hazzard's Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology. 6th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw Hill; 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=5122009&searchStr=aphasia%2c+primary+progressive#5122009. Accessed May 25, 2010.
- Frontotemproal dementia. The Association for Frontotemporal Dementias. http://www.ftd-picks.org/frontotemporal-dementias/ftd-overview. Accessed May 25, 2010.
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