Family Health: Damage to brain causes aphasia

In January 2011, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords suffered a traumatic brain injury when she was shot. The shooting captured national attention and since then Gabby has undergone a rigorous and somewhat public recovery and rehabilitation. A large part of her rehabilitation has consisted of intensive speech and language therapy for a communication disorder called aphasia.

Aphasia is an acquired communication disorder, meaning that it is acquired through stroke (the most common cause), traumatic brain injury, brain tumor or other neurological causes, rather than being born with it. In America, more than 100,000 people acquire aphasia each year. Overall, 1 in 250 people is affected. It is more common than Parkinsons disease, cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy. It more commonly occurs in older adults, but it can affect young people as well.

Aphasia is the result of damage to areas of the brain responsible for processing language. While language processing is impaired, intelligence typically is not. Speaking, understanding speech, reading and writing are aspects of communication in which a person with aphasia will have the most difficulty. An affected person may experience difficulty with a single aspect of communication or multiple aspects.

There are many different types and severity levels of aphasia, depending on the location and extent of injury to the brain. While some people may primarily struggle with producing speech, others may struggle more with understanding speech. While some people may still be able to communicate functionally in their daily lives, others may not be able to return to work or will need devices like iPads to help them communicate. Most often, multiple aspects of communication are affected, but regardless of the symptoms, difficulty communicating is the common denominator among people with aphasia.

A person may be affected by more than just aphasia after a stroke or brain injury. For example, they may have paralysis or partial paralysis on one side of their body, most often the right side. Typically, it is a collaborative effort among the affected person, their family members and a team of medical professionals to determine the persons overall needs. A speech language pathologist is responsible for evaluating the individual to determine the type and severity of aphasia. An aphasia treatment plan is developed by the speech language pathologist, taking into consideration the overall needs established by the team.

There are many different approaches to the treatment of aphasia depending entirely on the needs and goals of the person affected. Many factors determine how long it will take for a person to recover; some may recover quickly, others slowly, depending on type and extent of injury. In the meantime, some tips for communicating with people with aphasia include allowing the person more time to speak, reducing background noise and distractions, and using gestures or drawings to communicate.

Giffords has come such a long way in her aphasia recovery that she will receive the 2012 Annie Glenn Award at the annual American Speech-Language and Hearing Association conference in Atlanta later this fall. Recipients of the Annie award demonstrate invincible spirit in building awareness on behalf of those with communication disorders.

In light of building awareness, June is National Aphasia Awareness Month. It was designed to bolster community understanding of aphasia. For more detailed information on aphasia, there are numerous tools available through local organizations and reputable online resources, including the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (www.asha.org) and the National Aphasia Association (www.aphasia.org). Seek out these resources today!

Marion Warner Nielson is a speech pathologist at Community Medical Center.

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Family Health: Damage to brain causes aphasia