NS Disease 2-Aphasia

Aphasia is the loss of speech. The speech centers are located on the left side of the brain in a majority of people, but if someone suffers from a stroke or brain injury then this part of the brain can be impaired. These problems include difficulty in finding the right word, speaking slowly and with difficulty, or complete loss in speech. 

Some symptoms of aphasia include:

• Speaking in short or incomplete sentences
• Speaking in sentences that don't make sense
• Substituting one word for another or one sound for another
• Speaking unrecognizable words
• Not understanding other people's conversation
• Writing sentences that don't make sense

At your visit to the doctor, he or she will perform some common physical tests and may request an MRI to properly diagnose the disease. In addition, the doctor may do some of the following speech tests:

• Name common objects
• Engage in a conversation
• Understand and use words correctly
• Answer questions about something read or heard
• Repeat words and sentences
• Follow instructions
• Answer yes-no questions and respond to open-ended questions about common subjects
• Read and write

For treatment, the patient may be prescribed drugs that will help with the production of depleted neurotransmitters. A common form of treatment is speech therapy, which will be prescribed early and most likely will take place in a group.

200k to 3 million people are currently diagnosed with aphasia.

http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/Aphasia/