Aphasia

Definition - an acquired neurogenic language disorder resulting from an injury to the brain, most typically the left hemisphere, that affects all language modalities. The four primary areas of impairment are: spoken language expression, spoken language comprehension, written expression, and reading comprehension.

Treatment

In general, the aim of aphasia treatment includes:

• restoring language abilities by addressing all impaired communication modalities and focusing on training in those areas in which a person makes errors
• strengthening intact modalities and behaviors to support and augment communication
• compensating for language impairments by teaching strategies and by incorporating augmentative and alternative methods of communication if they help to improve communication
• training family and caregivers to effectively communicate with persons with aphasia using communication supports and strategies, in order to maximize communication competence
• facilitating generalization of skills and strategies in all communicative contexts
• educating persons with aphasia, their families, caregivers, and other significant persons about the nature of spoken and/or written language disorders, the course of treatment, and prognosis for recovery.