Aphasia is a communication disability.
Aphasia is usually caused by a stroke or a traumatic brain injury.
After a stroke, about 1 in 3 people will develop aphasia. About half of these people will have long-lasting aphasia.
Aphasia causes problems in communication.
Aphasia is different for everyone.
Aphasia can affect a person’s ability to:
- speak
- understand what people are saying
- read
- write
- or use numbers
The words are still there, but they can be hard to access or retrieve.
Aphasia can have a negative impact on communication and relationships in families.
Family members often need to think differently about how they communicate.
There is no medical cure for aphasia, but speech and language therapy can help people communicate better, even if they have been living with aphasia for a long time.