Speech Therapy For Stroke Patients

Aphasia affects the portion of the brain responsible for understanding and using both spoken and written language. After a stroke, a person's intelligence and mental clarity are unaffected. But, they have a hard time communicating and understanding language. Different forms of aphasia manifest their symptoms in various ways.

Some people who suffer from aphasia have the ability to understand the language they hear but are unable to express themselves verbally. On the other hand, some others have the ability to communicate, but their speech is incoherent, consisting of a mishmash of real and made-up words. Reading and writing can be especially challenging for people with aphasia.

Individuals who experience speech issues possess a thorough understanding of language and are fully aware of what they wish to express and how to articulate their thoughts. However, they may face challenges when attempting to communicate due to physical limitations. Specifically, the muscles in their tongue, lips, and other components involved in speaking may not have sufficient strength or coordination. Additionally, their brain may not effectively transmit the appropriate signals to the relevant muscles necessary for speech. Common examples of speech disorders include:

• Dysarthria results in unclear and slurred speech, often accompanied by difficulty in speaking with a normal tone. They may talk too slowly or softly.
• Apraxia of speech leads to difficulty coordinating tongue and lip movements, resulting in slow, paused speech with errors in sound pronunciation and longer words.
• Trouble understanding social or emotional cues in a conversation.
• Struggle managing their mood or have memory issues that make it more difficult for them to express themselves.