Aphasia (Print Version)

Aphasia is a disorder caused by damage to the parts of the brain that control language. It can make it hard for you to read, write and say what you mean to say. It is most common in adults who have had a stroke. Brain tumors, infections, injuries and dementia can also cause it. The type of problem you have and how bad it is depends on which part of your brain is damaged and how much damage there is.

There are four main types:

Expressive aphasia – you know what you want to say, but you have trouble saying or writing what you mean
Receptive aphasia – you hear the voice or see the print, but you can't make sense of the words
Anomic aphasia – you have trouble using the correct word for objects, places or events
Global aphasia – you can't speak, understand speech, read or write

Some people recover from aphasia without treatment. Most, however, need language therapy as soon as possible.

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Start Here

Aphasia(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders) - http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/aphasia.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/spanish/aphasia_span.asp
Aphasia(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/aphasia/aphasia.htm

Overviews

Aphasia(American Speech-Language-Hearing Association) - http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/Aphasia.htm
Aphasia(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/aphasia/DS00685/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all
Aphasia Quiz(National Aphasia Association) - http://www.aphasia.org/Aphasia%20Facts/aphasia_quiz.html

Coping

Communicating with People Who Have Aphasia: Some Do's and Don't's(National Aphasia Association) - http://www.aphasia.org/Aphasia%20Facts/communicating_with_people_who_have_aphasia.html
Family Adjustment to Aphasia(American Speech-Language-Hearing Association) - http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/FamilyAdjustmentAphasia.htm

Specific Conditions

Aphasia vs. Apraxia(American Stroke Association) - http://www.strokeassociation.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3030925
Understanding Primary Progressive Aphasia(National Aphasia Association) - http://www.aphasia.org/Aphasia%20Facts/understanding_primary_progressive_aphasia.html

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Aphasia(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Aphasia%22

Research

Adult Aphasia: Recent Research(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders) - http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/adultaphasia.asp

Journal Articles

References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Article: A longitudinal study of children with developmental dysphasia. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18780644&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: "Much Madness is Divinest Sense". - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18598663&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: A single-system account of semantic and lexical deficits in five... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18568816&tool=MedlinePlus
Aphasia -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=aphasia[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Dictionaries/Glossaries

NIDCD Glossary(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders) - http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/glossary/

Directories

Aphasia: Community Groups and Support Networks(National Aphasia Association) - http://www.aphasia.org/aphasia_community/aphasia_community.html
Aphasia: Where to Find Health Professionals(National Aphasia Association) - http://www.aphasia.org/aphasia_community/how_to_find_a_speech_language_pathologist.html

Organizations

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association - http://www.asha.org/
National Aphasia Association - http://www.aphasia.org
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://espanol.ninds.nih.gov/
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders - http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/

Law and Policy

Employment Rights of People with Communication Disabilities(American Speech-Language-Hearing Association) - http://www.asha.org/public/outreach/take-action/Employment+Rights.htm

Children

Landau-Kleffner Syndrome(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/landaukleffnersyndrome/landaukleffnersyndrome.htm

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

Speech and Communication Disorders - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/speechandcommunicationdisorders.html
Stroke - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/stroke.html
Brain and Nerves - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/brainandnerves.html

The primary NIH organization for research on Aphasia is the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders - http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/