June is Aphasia Awareness Month! According to the National Aphasia Association, about 84.5 percent of Americans have never heard of aphasia, yet 2 million Americans are affected by it. This month is all about raising awareness while paving the way for better communication experiences for those living with aphasia.
What is Aphasia?
According to the National Aphasia Association, “Aphasia is an acquired communication disorder that impairs a person’s ability to process language but does not affect intelligence. Aphasia impairs the ability to speak and understand others.” Those living with Aphasia will increase to 180,000 by 2020, therefore Aphasia Awareness Month is important for spreading awareness.
Causes of Aphasia
In Healthline’s Article, “What is Aphasia?,” the main causes of Aphasia are:
- Brain tumor
- Degenerative disease
- Dementia or another neurological disorder
- Head injury
- Infection
- Stroke
Signs and Symptoms
According to the Mayo Clinic, the symptoms of Aphasia are:
- Speaking in short or incomplete sentences.
- Speaking in sentences that do not make sense.
- Substituting one word for another or one sound for another.
- Speaking unrecognizable words.
- Not understanding other people’s conversations.
- Writing sentences that do not make sense.
Online Speech Therapy for Aphasia
While Aphasia is currently incurable, treatment is available for those living with Aphasia. Speech therapy is a great way to strengthen communication for those living with Aphasia. With today’s technology, speech therapy is accessible to anyone through the use of online speech therapy. Online speech therapy creates a comfortable and safe environment for those living with Aphasia within the comfort of their own place. You can find more information and resources about online speech therapy here.
It’s important to show your support for Aphasia Awareness Month by using #AphasiaAwareness, and visiting the National Aphasia Association for more information!
Sources:
Aphasia: Causes, Symptoms, and Diagnosis. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/symptom/aphasia.
Aphasia – Symptoms, and causes. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/aphasia/symptoms-causes/syc-20369518.
Have You Ever Tried Online Speech Therapy? – National Aphasia Association. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.aphasia.org/stories/online-speech-therapy/.
Home – National Aphasia Association. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.aphasia.org/.
June is Aphasia Awareness Month – National Aphasia Association. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.aphasia.org/stories/june-aphasia-awareness-month/.