June is Aphasia Awareness Month. About 1 million people in the United States
currently have aphasia, and nearly 180,000 Americans acquire it each year,
according to the National Aphasia Association.
Aphasia is not a cognitive disorder but rather an acquired
language disorder that results from damage to parts of the brain that help us
process language. Stroke is the most common cause, but aphasia can also occur
after head injuries, brain tumor or a progressive neurological disease. Another
type of aphasia can occur when brain tissue deteriorates with age.
The severity of aphasia also varies. It may affect mainly a
single aspect of language use, such as the ability to retrieve the names of
objects, or the ability to put words together into sentences, or the ability to
read. There are several types of aphasia such as Global, Broca’s, Wernicke’s, Primary
Progressive, Anomic, and Mixed Non-Fluent Aphasia.
The cause of aphasia is usually diagnosed using a brain
imaging test, such as an MRI. Then, a primary care provider or neurologist will
refer the patient to a speech-language pathologist for treatment. At McLaren Port Huron, speech therapists
assess and treat language and communication challenges and help with the
development or recovery of good communication skills.
For more information, or to make an appointment for an
evaluation call McLaren Port Huron Speech Therapy Services at 810-989-3178.