Aphasia is an acquired language disorder that occurs when damage to the brain affects language abilities. It can affect speaking, understanding spoken language, reading, and writing . Aphasia most commonly occurs after a stroke but may also result from traumatic brain injury, brain tumors, infections, brain surgery, or other neurological conditions.

Aphasia is different for every individual. Some people may have difficulty finding words, while others may experience difficulties understanding language, forming sentences, reading, or writing.

Common Signs of Aphasia

A person with aphasia may experience:

• Difficulty finding the right words

• Using incorrect or unrelated words

• Difficulty forming sentences

• Speaking in short or incomplete phrases

• Difficulty understanding spoken language

• Difficulty following lengthy or complex conversations

• Difficulty reading

• Difficulty writing or spelling

• Difficulty naming familiar objects or people

• Difficulty participating in conversations

Word-finding difficulty (anomia) is particularly common in people with aphasia.

What Causes Aphasia?

Aphasia results from damage to the brain’s language network. Common causes include:

• Stroke

• Traumatic brain injury

• Brain tumors

• Brain surgery

• Brain infections

• Certain neurological conditions

Stroke is one of the most common causes of acquired aphasia.

Types of Communication Difficulties

Aphasia can affect different areas of communication.

Expressive Language

A person may know what they want to say but have difficulty finding words, constructing sentences, or expressing their thoughts.

Receptive Language

The person may have difficulty understanding spoken language, particularly longer, faster, or more complex messages.

Reading

Aphasia can affect the ability to recognize words, understand written information, or connect letters and sounds.

Writing

Some individuals may have difficulty spelling, writing words or sentences, or organizing written information.

Because aphasia profiles vary, a person may have strengths in some areas and significant difficulties in others.

Aphasia and Speech Are Not the Same

Aphasia primarily affects language , rather than simply the ability to produce speech sounds.

A person may also have other communication difficulties following neurological injury, such as dysarthria or acquired apraxia of speech . A comprehensive assessment helps identify these cooccurring difficulties and guide treatment.

How Is Aphasia Assessed?

A speech-language pathologist (SLP) may assess:

• Spoken language comprehension

• Verbal expression

• Naming and word retrieval

• Repetition

• Spontaneous speech

• Reading

• Writing

• Conversation and discourse

• Speech production

• Cognitive-communication skills

• Functional communication

Assessment may use standardized and non-standardized methods and should consider the person’s languages, dialects, cultural background, hearing and vision, cognitive abilities, and everyday communication needs .

How Can Speech Therapy Help?

Aphasia speech therapy is individualized according to the person’s communication profile and goals.

Therapy may target:

Word Retrieval

Activities can help improve access to words and reduce frustration during communication.

Expressive Language

Therapy may focus on improving vocabulary, sentence formulation, verbal expression, and conversational communication.

Language Comprehension

Strategies can support understanding of words, sentences, instructions, conversations, and written information.

Reading and Writing

When appropriate, therapy can address reading comprehension, spelling, writing, and functional literacy.

Functional Communication

Therapy focuses not only on impairment-level skills but also on helping individuals communicate successfully in home, work, social, and community environments .

Communication Strategies and AAC

Alternative or supportive communication methods may include:

• Gestures

• Writing

• Pictures

• Communication boards

• Speech-generating devices

• Other AAC systems

These strategies can help individuals communicate while language skills are recovering or when some difficulties remain.

Can Aphasia Improve?

Recovery varies considerably between individuals. Factors such as the severity and location of brain injury, overall health, and individual circumstances can influence recovery.

Speech and language therapy can support communication recovery and help individuals develop strategies for participating in everyday life. Treatment may be restorative, compensatory, or a combination of both .

Aphasia Therapy at iSpeak Total Communication Clinics

At iSpeak Total Communication Clinics , therapy for adults with acquired communication difficulties is individualized according to their language abilities, communication needs, personal goals, and everyday activities .

Therapy may focus on word retrieval, expressive and receptive language, speech clarity, reading, writing, conversation, functional communication, and AAC when appropriate.

Our goal is to help individuals communicate as independently, confidently, and effectively as possible in their everyday lives.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can aphasia happen suddenly?

Yes. Aphasia can occur suddenly following events such as a stroke or traumatic brain injury.

Is aphasia permanent?

Not necessarily. Recovery varies from person to person. Some individuals experience significant improvement, while others continue to have communication difficulties.

Can speech therapy help aphasia after a stroke?

Yes. Speech-language therapy can address language impairments and help develop strategies for more effective everyday communication.

Can someone with aphasia understand everything but not speak?

Some individuals have relatively stronger comprehension with significant difficulty expressing themselves, while others have difficulties with both comprehension and expression.

Can aphasia affect reading and writing?

Yes. Aphasia may affect reading comprehension and written expression in addition to spoken communication.

Can bilingual people develop aphasia?

Yes. Aphasia can affect different languages differently. Assessment and therapy should consider the person’s complete language history and the languages they use in everyday life.

References

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Aphasia – Practice Portal.

ASHA Practce Portal – Aphasia

Recommended citation:

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.). Aphasia [Practice Portal]. ASHA.

Copyright & Content Note

This article is original educational content prepared for iSpeak Total Communication Clinics . It summarizes information from the ASHA Practice Portal without reproducing ASHA’s copyrighted text, tables, graphics, or proprietary material. ASHA is credited as the clinical reference and the original resource is linked above.

Disclaimer: This article is for general educational purposes and does not replace medical evaluation, neurological care, or an individualized speech-language assessment and treatment plan.