The Aphasia Library

What is Aphasia?

Aphasia is an acquired language disorder often resulting from a stroke or brain injury. It affects a person’s ability to process, use, and/or understand language. Aphasia does not affect intelligence.

How Common is Aphasia?

Approximately 180,000 people are diagnosed with aphasia every year. About 1/3 of people who have strokes get aphasia.

What Causes Aphasia?

Aphasia occurs when there is damage to the parts of the brain that are responsible for language. While it is most commonly brought on by stroke, there are several other conditions that can cause aphasia.

Can Aphasia Be Prevented?

If you have aphasia, you might be wondering if you could have done something to prevent it. There is no effective way to prevent aphasia although there are steps you can take to reduce your risk of having a stroke.

How is Aphasia Treated?

There are dozens of ways that speech-language pathologists (SLPs) treat aphasia. The type of treatment a person receives is generally determined by the type of aphasia he or she has, as well as the severity of it.

Caregiving and Aphasia

Few of us ever anticipate that one day we may end up a caregiver for a spouse, child, parent, sibling, or other relative. We feel overwhelmed in the face of uncertainty.

What are the types of Aphasia?

There are several different types of aphasia. While there are common characteristics, each type of aphasia presents unique symptoms and many people with aphasia show overlapping symptoms.

What Are Symptoms of Aphasia?

One of the most common impairments occurs with spoken language where an individual may have difficulty speaking.

How is Aphasia Diagnosed?

Aphasia can be diagnosed by your doctor or a speech-language pathologist (SLP). An SLP can do speech and language testing based on your symptoms. However, only a doctor can determine the underlying cause.

Can You Recover From Aphasia?

Every person is different. Some people mostly recover, but still find it hard to think of the right word sometimes. The good news is that people can continue getting better for years after they get aphasia.

Conditions Related to Aphasia

Aphasia can affect speaking, understanding, reading, and writing, and the severity can vary depending on the extent of the brain damage. Various conditions and factors can be related to or contribute to aphasia.

Find Support Groups

There are thousands of other people who are going through the same experiences you are. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, consider joining a support group.