Understanding Aphasia After Brain Injury

June is National Aphasia Awareness Month, and I wanted to share some of what I have learned on my journey through aphasia after brain injury. According to Wikipedia, the term aphasia implies that one or more communication modalities in the brain have been damaged—and are therefore functioning incorrectly. The difficulties for people with aphasia can range from occasional trouble finding words to losing the ability to speak, read, or write; their intelligence, however, is unaffected. Since no two brain injuries are ever the same, the way aphasia affects one person can vary greatly from the next person. In my own experience, I have had trouble finding the word I was expecting to come out of my mouth. I would be saying a sentence, and then all of a sudden, realize I had no idea what the word I was trying to say was supposed to be. It was the strangest feeling because the word simply vanished into thin air. I also would say the wrong word, and not usually even realize it until the person I was talking to gave me a quizzical look. I would then ask him, “What did I just say?” I had no idea I had said flower instead of coffee pot, etc. My reading and writing weren’t affected by aphasia, but my cognitive processing of what other people were saying slowed greatly. I would sometimes not understand a word that I knew I should know, and would have to ask them to tell me what it meant (which also would warrant quizzical looks). It’s such a strange experience...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news