The month of June is recognized as Aphasia Awareness Month. It was created in an effort to increase public awareness of aphasia and to recognize the numerous people living with and/or caring for someone with the disorder. Many people who are living with aphasia are middle aged, however anyone can be affected by it. According to the National Aphasia Association, about 1 million people in the US are living with aphasia, and nearly 180,000 acquire it annually.
What is Aphasia?
Aphasia is a disorder that affects language and communication, often occurring suddenly following a stroke or a head injury. It can also progress slowly as a result of a brain tumor or a progressive neurological disorder. Aphasia typically results from damage to the language portion of the brain which is on the left side.
Effects of Aphasia
Aphasia can affect a person’s speech, as well as the way you write and understand spoken and written language. Some people diagnosed with aphasia also have issues performing mathematical functions. It is important to remember that aphasia is a loss of language and not a loss of intellect. Everyone is impacted differently.
Treatment
Many people undergo speech and language therapy to recover their language skills and to supplement their communication experiences. Recovering language skills is a slow process. While most people make significant progress, few regain their full communication skills as prior to their recovery. Other treatment types and medications to treat aphasia are being studied.
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