Spotlight: Aphasia
Written by: Anna Pasternak / Medical Rehabilitation / March 08, 2023 / 8 minutes read
What is Aphasia?
Recently aphasia has been brought into the limelight since Bruce Willis’s diagnosis with aphasia. Thousands of people are diagnosed every year with aphasia, though now more people are researching and learning about this disorder.
So, what actually is Aphasia? Aphasia is a communication disorder that some people develop due to stroke, brain injury, brain tumor and sometimes dementia. Aphasia affects the language portion of the brain that controls our speech, comprehension, reading comprehension and writing expression. Since Bruce Willis’s more recent diagnosis of dementia we now know the reason for him developing aphasia was caused by dementia. There are different types of aphasia though the type of aphasia that Bruce Willis may be experiencing is not known.
Types of aphasia
There are a few different types of aphasia that are due to a different part of the brain being affected, and these different aphasias have different characteristics. The two most common subtypes of aphasia are Broca’s aphasia and Wernicke’s aphasia. The names are derived from the part of the brain that is affected. Broca’s aphasia is in the Broca’s area of the brain which is located in the frontal lobe. This is the part of the brain that controls speech and motor movements. Broca’s aphasia is considered a non-fluent aphasia. People who have this type of aphasia have difficulties with speech output. Their comprehension is preserved as they understand everything and know what they want to say, but are not able to get it out. It may appear as if they are stuck and can’t get it out, or forgot what they wanted to say. People with Broca’s aphasia may have difficulties forming sentences, saying words and sounds clearly, and sometimes even with reading and writing. Though some people may be stronger in one area then the other.
Wernicke’s aphasia on the other hand is located more in the middle of the brain. Since this affects a different language area of the brain it is almost opposite of Broca’s aphasia. Wernicke’s aphasia is considered a fluent aphasia where the speech is not affected but the person’s comprehension is severely affected. People with this type of aphasia may seem like the can speak normally as they can speak full sentences and say words clearly, though often what they are saying makes no sense. They can continue speaking without making sense and are not aware that others do not understand them. When asked a simple question, people with this type of aphasia will give a completely unrelated answer. They may also make up words that have no meaning and insert them into sentences.
Three other subtypes of aphasia that may appear are global aphasia, conduction aphasia, and anomic aphasia. Global aphasia is the most severe type as it affects both expression and comprehension. The person will have difficulties with speaking, but also with the understanding of speech. Those who have conduction aphasia have trouble repeating things that others have said. For this type of aphasia speech and comprehension may not be affected depending on the size of the damage in the brain. Anomic aphasia affects the ability for people to name objects. Like with Broca’s aphasia they know what the object is, but they are not able to say it out loud.
Aphasia is a communication disorder that some people develop due to stroke, brain injury, brain tumor and sometimes dementia.
Impact on life
Aphasia greatly impacts a person’s quality of life. Those with aphasia have a difficult time participating in any type of social situation. They have difficulties communicating with family and friends, can’t speak on the phone , and reading, and writing can be greatly affected. Often those with aphasia might suffer from isolation or do not receive the support they need which can lead to anger, anxiety and depression.
Therapy
Speech therapy is most often required to help treat people with aphasia. Once seen, a speech pathologist will do an assessment and develop goals to meet the client’s needs. Speech pathologists help clients and their families develop techniques to help with communication through using visual aids and targeting specific goals when it comes to speech, comprehension, writing and reading. This will give the client the tools needed for everyday communication and communication improvement over time. It is also important for a speech pathologist to work closely with the client's family. This is vital to help reconnect family relationships as aphasia also takes a toll on close family members and friends. A speech pathologist will provide tools for family members to help support their loved ones' communication. Speech pathologist’s will help reduce impairment, help increase the person’s activity in daily life, and provide compensatory strategies. Occupational therapy is another therapy that may help those with aphasia improve their quality of life.
Family role
Those who are very close to the person with aphasia, whether it be family or close friends, carry an important role in treatment. The speech pathologist will assist family members on how to ease communication difficulties with their loved ones, and give way to a better understanding to help avoid communication breakdowns. Some strategies may include using aids such as paper and pen to help with understanding if the person with aphasia can read/write, allowing time for the person with aphasia to respond, not asking open ended questions, using short to the point words/sentences, and using non-verbal communication such as pointing. Some family/friends may have the feeling that their loved ones' communication will never improve especially when the person is first diagnosed, that is when the speech therapist comes in to support the family as well as the client. There has also been research on communication partner training which can help with communication improvement between loved ones and those who have aphasia. Though there are many challenges, seeing a speech therapist can help family members ease into the change in communication style and eventually feel like they have their loved ones back.
Aphasia can be a detriment disorder that can highly impact a person’s quality of life in all situations. With the proper support and involvement of loved ones, the person and family members suffering from aphasia can develop strategies to make communication easier and develop progress in communication goals.
Links
Torontospeechtherapy.com
https://www.torontospeechtherapy.com/blog/2019/loved-one-has-aphasia
Aphasia.org
https://www.aphasia.org/aphasia-definitions/
Healthline.com
To speak with a psychotherapist or one of the speech-language pathologists at Well Said: Toronto Speech Therapy, schedule an initial consultation by clicking the link below or calling (647) 795-5277.
