Do I Have Aphasia?

Have you had a stroke or a head injury?

As far as you know, do you have some neurological disease?

Do you need to make an effort to speak?

Do you speak in short or incomplete sentences?

Have anyone told you that you speak in sentences that don't make sense?

Do you have difficulty finding words, or you make grammatical errors while speaking?

Do you make up words (speak unrecognizable words)?

Do you have difficulty understanding other people's conversation?

Do you find it very hard to follow fast speech (e.g. radio or television news)?

Do you have difficulty writing or copying letters, words, and sentences?

Do you write sentences that don't make sense?

Do you have difficulty comprehending written material or recognizing some words by sight?

Based on your answers it is unlikely that you have aphasia. Aphasia is a medical condition that refers to impaired ability to communicate – to speak, write and understand words. The most common cause of aphasia is stroke. Approximately 25 to 40 percent of stroke survivors develop aphasia. Also, various head injuries, brain tumors and other neurological diseases can cause aphasia. Aphasia can range from mild to severe. A person with mild aphasia is unable to understand complex sentences and have difficulty to find words to express himself, but can still talk. Severe aphasia completely limits a person's ability to talk and understand words.

Based on your answers there is a possibility that you have aphasia. Aphasia is a communication disorder that is caused by damage of the specific parts of the brain that produce and process language. There are several types of aphasia: comprehensive aphasia (a person understands what others are saying, but has difficulty speaking), expressive aphasia (a person speaks fluently, but his sentences do not make sense, and does not understand what others are saying) and global aphasia (a person has difficulty speaking and understanding others). A diagnosis is based on a physical examination, a neurological examination, imaging tests and an assessment of your language skills.

Based on your answers there is a high possibility that you have aphasia. Aphasia is a disorder characterized by a person’s impaired ability to speak, understand language, read and write. Aphasia is the result of a brain damage caused by a stroke, injury to the head, brain tumor or some progressive neurological disease. Treatment depends on the underlying cause and the extent of the brain damage. Some people with a mild brain damage may recover their language skills without therapy. However, in most cases, speech and language rehabilitation is required. It is a slow process and only a few people fully regain their communication skills.