This article was written by Elijah Emory-Muhammad of Bethesda Chevy Chase High School
Everyone relies upon their delicate and intricate brains for their day-to-day needs and survival. The brain allows people to perform both basic and complex activities, from brushing teeth to solving complex, mind-boggling scientific equations. With such reliance on this powerhouse of an organ, one must wonder what would happen if the brain is damaged. Well, a common result of damage to the brain, whether from a stroke or a severe blow to the head, is aphasia.
Aphasia can be simply defined as the loss of ability to understand or express speech due to brain damage, specifically to the left hemisphere of the brain, which controls language and speech. As mentioned before, this damage can be caused by a stroke or head injury, but it can also develop slowly as the result of a brain tumor or a neurological disease. Even though many people have never heard of the disorder, according to the National Aphasia Association, as many as 180,000 Americans acquire it each year.
The term aphasia actually encompasses many different types of aphasia that affect people’s ability to comprehend and produce speech in differing ways. For example, the gravest form of aphasia, global aphasia, causes people to have both difficulties forming words and sentences and extreme difficulty understanding other people’s language. However, people with expressive aphasia can understand language better than they can speak it. Another form of aphasia is comprehensive aphasia, which may cause people to speak easily and fluently in long sentences that do not make sense. People with this type of aphasia often don’t comprehend spoken language well and don’t even realise that others can’t understand them.
In order to identify aphasia, the physician that treated the prior brain damage typically has the patient undergo a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or a computed tomography (CT) scan. This allows the physician to pinpoint the exact location of the brain damage and refer the patient to a pathologist, who will then perform a comprehensive examination of the patient’s communication abilities. If someone does not undergo this process after suspected brain damage, then they should definitely see a doctor if they develop problems like difficulty speaking, reading, writing and understanding speech, and recalling words.
With all of these issues that stem from aphasia, it is no surprise that people with aphasia have complications with their jobs, relationships and day to day functions that require communication and comprehension. The language barriers that aphasia can create for someone can often lead to severe embarrassment and other disorders like depression. It can also be very frustrating for family members and friends of people with aphasia to understand what they are trying to say. For these reasons, it is of the utmost importance for loved ones to take certain steps in being supportive of those with the disorder.
For starters, participate in therapy sessions in order to figure out the best way to communicate with a loved one. It is also helpful to simplify language by using short and uncomplicated sentences when talking to someone with aphasia. An important thing to remember is that an adult with aphasia is still an adult; therefore, there is no need to treat them like a child. Aphasia mainly affects communication, not thinking entirely, so be sure to use conversational manners appropriate for an adult. Encourage someone with aphasia to try to communicate so they are not intimidated by language barriers and so they know that their opinion is valued.
Aphasia is a disorder that cannot be cured, but it is a hardship that can be faced and has been faced through alleviation with the help of professionals and loved ones alike. For more information about aphasia, feel free to visit the National Aphasia Association website.
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