What is Aphasia?

Aphasia is a communication disorder that results from brain injury in the left hemisphere of the brain.

90% of cases of aphasia are due to stroke.

 

Aphasia can affect a person's ability to produce or comprehend speech, writing, and reading, but it does not affect intelligence.

 

Fast facts:

  • • Aphasia results primarily from stroke, brain injury or tumor, and less frequently as part of a progressive disease.
  • • More than two million people are affected by aphasia in the United States.
  • • More people have aphasia than other common conditions, including cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, or Parkinson's disease.
  • • 84.5% of Americans have never heard the term “aphasia.”
  • • Aphasia may cause social isolation, lack of community, and loss of engagement in recreational and vocational pursuits.
  • • There are 6 main types of aphasia.
  • • Although people with aphasia may have difficulty communicating through speaking, they may be able to sing!

“Aphasia is an impairment of language, affecting the production or comprehension of speech and the ability to read or write. Aphasia is always due to injury to the brain-most commonly from a stroke, particularly in older individuals. But brain injuries resulting in aphasia may also arise from head trauma, from brain tumors, or from infections.”
-National Aphasia Association