QURAT UL AIN

M.PHIL
CLINICAL
PSYCHOLOGY
2 N D -B
RIPHAH
INTERNATIONAL
UNIVERSITY
FAISALABAD
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*What Is Aphasia
*Symptoms
*Types And Patterns
*Tests For Diagnosis
*Possible Treatment And
Cure

CONTENTS
What is aphasia?
 Aphasia is a language disorder caused by damage in a specific area of the brain that controls
language expression and comprehension. Aphasia leaves a person unable to communicate
effectively with others.

 It can interfere with verbal communication (getting words mixed up when speaking), written
communication, or both.
 Aphasia is often treatable, and speech therapy can still help people who have this condition
permanently.
Types and causes of aphasia
 There are a few different types of aphasia. The type depends on the part of the brain that has
suffered damage.

 According to the National Aphasia Association, aphasia affects about 2 million people in the
United States, but many people have never heard of it.

 Just because someone is living with aphasia does not mean they have a mental disorder or
have lowered intelligence.
Aphasia can occur due to:

 a brain tumor
 an infection
 dementia or another neurological disorder
 a degenerative disease
 a head injury
 a stroke
 Strokes are the most common cause of aphasia. According to the National
Aphasia Association, aphasia occurs in 25 to 40 percent of people who’ve had a
stroke.
Types or patterns of aphasia

 According to the National Aphasia Association, there are many types — or

patterns — of aphasia. Out of these many types, there are a few that are quite
prevalent.
 People with aphasia may have different strengths and weaknesses in their
speech patterns. Sometimes these patterns are labeled as different types of
aphasia.

 There are multiple types of aphasia and aphasia-like conditions. While the
symptoms of aphasia have many similarities, there are still some important
differences. To understand how aphasia works, it helps to understand a little
bit about two specific parts of the brain that work together when you talk:
 Broca’s area: This part of the brain gets its name from the French physician
who discovered it controls the muscles we use to speak. It’s part of frontal
lobe, usually on the left side just forward of our temple.
 Wernicke’s area: This part of the brain gets its name from the German
neurologist who discovered that it controls the ability to understand and select
the right words to use when we talk. It’s part of temporal lobe, also usually on
left side just above ear.
 These two areas of the brain work together to help us speak.
 Wernicke’s area processes the understanding of words and picks
which ones we use, and then it sends signals to Broca's area.
 Once Broca’s area knows what words to use, it sends the signals to
the muscles we use when we speak.
 Broca’s aphasia

 Also known as “non-fluent aphasia” or “expressive aphasia,” this is one of the

more common forms of this condition. People with Broca’s aphasia usually
have the following:

 Loss of fluency. People with Broca’s aphasia struggle to form words. They may
repeat words or simple phrases over and over (but struggle to or can’t repeat
back something you say to them). People with the most severe cases can’t
make any sounds (mutism) or can only make a single sound at a time.
 Understanding is not affected. People with Broca’s aphasia can’t speak,
but they can still understand what other people are saying. They also can tell
that something is wrong with their ability to speak.
 Struggle with repetition. Broca’s aphasia affects repetition, meaning a
person with it might have trouble repeating back words or phrases you say to
them.
 Other symptoms: Damage to Broca’s area, especially from strokes, often also
affects a nearby part of the brain that controls muscles for movement. Because
of that, people with Broca’s aphasia are more likely to have at least some
paralysis on one side of their body.
 Wernicke’s aphasia

 Also known as “fluent aphasia” or “receptive aphasia,” this is also a relatively

common form of aphasia. People with Wernicke’s aphasia usually have the
following:
 Fluent speech. This means that they don’t have any trouble with the physical
act of speaking. However, what they say is often confusing or doesn’t make
sense. People with this may use the wrong words or make up words. Experts
sometimes call this “word salad.”
 Problems with understanding. People with this struggle to understand what
others are saying. They might understand very simple sentences, but the more
complex the sentence or phrase, the harder it is to understand.
 Struggle with repetition. Wernicke’s aphasia affects repetition,
meaning a person with it might struggle to repeat back words or
phrases you say to them.
 Other symptoms. Wernicke’s area of the brain is near parts of the
brain that affect your sight, so people with this kind of aphasia often
have vision problems, too. People with Wernicke’s aphasia also often
have anosognosia (an-oh-sog-no-zh-uh), a condition where your brain
can’t recognize or process signs of a medical problem you have.
 That means people with this often don’t know or can’t understand that
they have this kind of aphasia.
 Global aphasia

 This is the most severe form of aphasia. It usually involves the following features.
 Loss of fluency. People with global aphasia struggle with the physical act of speaking. People
with the most severe forms of this might only make small or isolated sounds, or they might not
make any sounds at all (mutism). They also may repeat words or simple phrases over and over
(this is a problem with fluency, as they’ll still have trouble repeating back words or phrases you
say to them).
 Problems with understanding. People with this struggle to understand what others are saying.
They might understand very simple sentences, but the more complex the sentence or phrase,
the harder it is to understand.
 Struggle with repetition. Global aphasia affects repetition,
meaning a person with it might struggle to repeat back words or
phrases you say to them.
 Other symptoms: This kind of aphasia happens with conditions
that cause severe brain damage, such as major strokes or head
injuries. The damage is usually severe and affects multiple parts of
the brain, causing other serious symptoms like one-sided paralysis,
blindness and more.
What tests will be done to diagnose this
condition?
 Several tests are possible when providers suspect aphasia. In most
cases, a speech language specialist can help to determine what type
of aphasia — if any — that a person has.
 The tests may also help with diagnosing what caused the aphasia
and may even determine if the cause is treatable and what kind of
treatments will work best.
Possible tests include:
 Blood tests (these can look for anything from immune system problems to toxins and poisons, especially
certain metals like copper).
 Computerized tomography (CT) scan.
 Electroencephalogram (EEG).
 Electromyogram.
 Evoked potentials test.
 Genetic testing.
 Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
 Positron emission tomography (PET) scan.
 Spinal tap (lumbar puncture).
 X-rays.
 A speech-language pathologist can complete a comprehensive language
assessment to confirm the presence of aphasia and determine the appropriate
course of language treatment. The assessment helps find out whether the
person can:
 Name common objects
 Engage in a conversation
 Understand and use words correctly
 Answer questions about something read or heard
 Repeat words and sentences
 Follow instructions
 Answer yes-no questions and respond to open-ended questions about
common subjects
 Read and write
How is aphasia treated, and is there a
cure?
 Unfortunately, there’s no direct cure for aphasia. However, it’s
usually treatable in some way. The first step in treating aphasia is
usually treating the condition that causes it. With conditions like
stroke, quickly restoring blood flow to the affected area of the brain
can sometimes limit or prevent permanent damage.
 In cases where aphasia happens because of a temporary problem,
such as from a concussion, migraine, seizure or some kind of
infection, aphasia is often temporary, too. The aphasia usually gets
better or goes away entirely as you recover and your brain heals
with time and treatment.
 For people who have long-term or permanent brain damage, like
what happens with severe strokes, speech therapy can sometimes
help a person's language abilities. These therapy options can also
help a person with improving their understanding of others, and
how to compensate for their aphasia. Speech therapy can also
involve caregivers and loved ones, so they know how best to
communicate with and help the patient.
Thank you
QUESTIONS?