From the Guidelines
Aphasia is a language disorder that affects a person's ability to communicate, and it comes in several distinct types, including Broca's aphasia, Wernicke's aphasia, Global aphasia, Anomic aphasia, Conduction aphasia, Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA), and Mixed aphasia. These different forms result from damage to specific language centers in the brain, typically in the left hemisphere, caused by stroke, traumatic brain injury, tumors, infections, or neurodegenerative diseases 1.
Types of Aphasia
- Broca's aphasia (expressive aphasia): causes halting, effortful speech while comprehension remains relatively intact
- Wernicke's aphasia (receptive aphasia): characterized by fluent but often meaningless speech and poor comprehension
- Global aphasia: the most severe form affecting all language abilities
- Anomic aphasia: where individuals struggle primarily with finding words
- Conduction aphasia: marked by difficulty repeating phrases despite good comprehension and fluent speech
- Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA): a neurodegenerative condition with gradually worsening language skills
- Mixed aphasia: which shows characteristics of multiple aphasia types Treatment typically involves speech-language therapy tailored to the specific type of aphasia and its severity, with early intervention generally yielding better outcomes for recovery of communication skills 1.
Key Considerations
- Aphasia affects an estimated 30% of stroke survivors and is an impairment of access to language, affecting verbal production, auditory comprehension, written expression, and reading comprehension 1
- Achieving functional communication in poststroke aphasia is an important aspect of recovery and can directly affect quality of life
- Evidence is equivocal regarding a specific intensity of language therapy for aphasia, but intensive treatment is probably indicated, and computerized treatment may be considered to supplement treatment provided by a speech-language pathologist 1