Early Signs and Symptoms of Aphasia You Should Watch For

News from Bruce Willis focuses on aphasia. All are searching the net to understand more about this cognitive disorder that damages the parts of the brain that are responsible for language. Damage can be caused by a stroke, a tumor or a head injury. It also affects the assembly or comprehension of speech and the ability to read or write.Also read – World Autism Day: 4 Myths About Autism Spectrum Disorders That You Should Stop Believing

Symptoms of aphasia vary in the severity of the damage and the effect on communication, given factors such as placement and the amount of damage and therefore the demands of the speaking situation. A person with aphasia often experiences difficulties in receptive and expressive speech – to varying degrees. He or she may have similar difficulties in written communication (i.e., reading comprehension and written expression). Like voice communication, the difficulties of written communication can vary in degree. For example, one may have difficulty reading (Alexia) with or without written expression difficulties (agraphia). For those who speak a language, when the language was learned, how often each language is used, and therefore the overall degree of proficiency in each language can be reduced in many ways, even with aphasia. Also read – Join in your favorite desserts and saviors with this Goody Fall Healthy Twist!

Dr. Alifia Bharmal, Speech & Swallow Therapist, Masina Hospital, shares some common signs and symptoms of aphasia: Also read – Go for Eat-Episode 1: What is Circuit Training? Techniques and benefits explained – see

• Communication problems (spoken and written)
• Having a hard time coming up with words (anemia)
• Speaking sluggishly or effortlessly
• Speaking in one word (e.g., names of things)
• Use of short, fragmented sentences
• Exclude small words like no, no, and were (i.e., telegraphic speech)
• Making grammatical mistakes
• Wrong order of words
• Substitutes for sounds or words (for example, “table” for bed; “wish dasher” for dishwasher)
• Creating conditions (e.g., chatter)
• Fluently weave absurd and original words together, yet ignore or add insignificant material
• Problems of understanding the spoken language
• Having trouble understanding spoken words
• Take extra time to understand the spoken message
• To give incredible answers to “yes / no” questions
• Failure to understand sophisticated grammar (e.g., “cat chases dog”)
• Having trouble following fast speech (e.g., radio or television news) o Misinterpret linguistic subtleties (e.g., accepting the literal meaning of metaphorical speech such as “he is feeding cats and dogs”).
• Lack of awareness of mistakes
• Written expression defects (agraphia)
• Disadvantages of reading comprehension
• Having trouble writing or copying letters, words and sentences
• Having trouble understanding written information
• Some words are having difficulty recognizing
• Inability to pronounce words o Replacing the words linked to the word (e.g., “chair” for bed)
• Having trouble reading words without content (e.g., function words such as to, from, the)

The Speech-Language Therapist (SLT) is considered one of the most notable providers of language skills training, as well as training on communication methods and communication aid devices, as well as services such as psychosocial intervention.

Speech and language therapy for people with aphasia attempts to:

• Help you regain your speech and language as much as possible (minimize damage)
• Help you communicate as effectively as possible (increase activity and engagement)
• Discover new ways to communicate (use compensation strategies or assistance) and provide information on aphasia to patients and their families.

As a recently graduated speech-language pathologist, I took my first steps in 2013. Since then, I have worked with people who have aphasia in various settings and rehabilitation stages. I’ve met a lot of interesting people over the years. Their importance in the daily lives of people with aphasia has become clearer to me.