Aphasia Mate whakangū

Aphasia is a language disorder. It affects your ability to communicate with others.

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Causes of aphasia

Aphasia is caused by damage to the language centre of your brain. This is usually in the left side of the brain.

You may have had:

  • a stroke, which is the most common cause
  • a brain tumour
  • a head injury, for example in a car accident
  • an infection in your brain.

Aphasia can also be caused by a condition that causes the brain to become damaged over time, such as dementia.

Symptoms of aphasia

If you have aphasia, you may find it hard to:

  • talk
  • use numbers and do calculations
  • read
  • write
  • understand what other people say.

It can be hard to understand messages and get your messages out.

You know what you think and how you feel, but you may find it hard to describe this with words. Your hearing and vision are not affected.

You may have both aphasia and apraxia of speech (a motor speech disorder). One of these disorders may be worse than the other.

Apraxia of speech

Diagnosing aphasia

To diagnose aphasia, your healthcare provider may refer you to a speech-language therapist.

A speech-language therapist will do some tests to see how well you can talk, understand, read, and write. They might ask you to name objects, follow instructions, or repeat words and sentences.

Speech-language therapists

Being understood with aphasia

Communication is:

  • interacting with another person
  • having a conversation
  • sharing your thoughts, wants, needs, opinions and ideas.

If you have aphasia, you may find the following options are helpful ways to communicate: 

  • write and draw
  • use gestures and tone of voice
  • use facial expressions
  • point to pictures.

Ask people to give you time to say what you want to say.

Your speech-language therapist can offer more specific ways to help you communicate.

Helping someone with aphasia communicate

  • You may need to support the person you are communicating with.
  • They may need help understanding conversations.
  • They may also need help getting their ideas, thoughts, feelings and opinions across.

You can help them by:

  • getting their attention before speaking — use their name and make eye contact or touch their arm
  • allowing more time for communication — you will need to be patient and listen carefully
  • remembering they are still intelligent — when they are having trouble getting their message across, reassure them by saying 'I know you know'
  • encouraging and accepting communication of any type, including gestures and writing
  • letting them know when you do not understand them.
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  • Create a quiet, non-distracting environment (turn off the radio or TV).
  • Make sure they are wearing their glasses or have any low vision aids handy.
  • Make sure they can see windows and areas where people interact.
  • Place items like clocks and notice boards at eye level.
  • Make sure the room is well lit so they can use nonverbal cues.
  • Make sure any hearing aids are working and well-fitted.
  • Arrange furniture so it allows interaction.
  • Use personal items, mementoes, clocks, calendars, pictures and noticeboards. These can help get a conversation going.

  • Sit close and face the person you are talking to.
  • Talk in a natural, relaxed way. Do not shout.
  • Speak slowly and clearly, using short sentences.
  • Repeat or rephrase the sentence if they do not understand.
  • Use gestures, written keywords or pictures as you speak.

  • Encourage them to take a breath and speak loudly.
  • Give them time to respond.
  • Ask short questions that only need a 'yes' or 'no' response.
  • Provide choices (written or verbal) for them to point to.
  • Get them to say keywords or break up what they are saying into small chunks, pausing and taking a breath in between.
  • Clarify that you understand what they mean. For example, saying 'So you think...'.
  • Let them know when you do not understand (if you pretend you do understand, it can cause confusion).
  • Avoid finishing their sentence for them.
  • Encourage them to use gestures, pointing, drawing or writing if it helps.

If they cannot find a word, encourage them to describe it or to use a different word. If they have trouble communicating a topic or word, tell them you can come back to it later. It might be easier when they are less tired.

Treating aphasia

A speech-language therapist can work with you and your whānau to help improve your speech and allow you to communicate effectively.

Find a therapist — New Zealand Speech-language Therapists' Associationexternal link