Communicating with someone with aphasia

People who have aphasia have language problems. They may have trouble saying and/or writing words correctly. This type of aphasia is called expressive aphasia. People who have it may understand what another person is saying. If they do not understand what is being said, or if they cannot understand written words, they have what is called receptive aphasia. Some people have a combination of both types of aphasia.

Expressive aphasia may be non-fluent, in which case a person has trouble:

Another kind of expressive aphasia is fluent aphasia. People who have fluent aphasia may be able to put many words together. But what they say does not make sense. They are often unaware that they are not making sense.

People who have aphasia may become frustrated:

Speech and language therapists can work with people who have aphasia and their family or caregivers to improve their ability to communicate.

The most common cause of aphasia is stroke. Recovery may take up to 2 years, though not everyone fully recovers. Aphasia may also be due to the brain losing function, such as with Alzheimer disease. In such cases, aphasia will not get better.

There are many ways to help people with aphasia.

Keep distractions and noise down.

Talk to people who have aphasia in adult language. Do not make them feel as if they are children. Do not pretend to understand them if you do not.

If a person with aphasia cannot understand you, do not shout. Unless the person also has a hearing problem, shouting will not help. Make eye contact when talking to the person.

When you ask questions:

When you give instructions:

You can encourage the person with aphasia to use other ways to communicate, such as:

It may help a person with aphasia, as well as their caregivers, to have a book with pictures or words about common topics or people so that communication is easier.

Always try to keep people with aphasia involved in conversations. Check with them to make sure they understand. But do not push too hard for them to understand, since this may cause more frustration.

Do not try to correct people with aphasia if they remember something incorrectly.

Begin to take people with aphasia out more, as they become more confident. This will allow them to practice communicating and understanding in real-life situations.

When leaving someone with speech problems alone, make sure the person has an ID card that:

Consider joining support groups for people with aphasia and their families.

Dobkin BH. Rehabilitation and recovery of the patient with stroke. In: Grotta JC, Albers GW, Broderick JP, et al, eds. Stroke: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Management. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 60.

Kirschner HS, Wilson SM. Aphasia and aphasic syndromes. In: Jankovic J, Mazziotta JC, Pomeroy SL, Newman NJ, eds. Bradley and Daroff's Neurology in Clinical Practice. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 13.

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders website. Aphasia. www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/aphasia. Updated March 6, 2017. Accessed July 4, 2024.



Review Date: 6/13/2024
Reviewed By: Joseph V. Campellone, MD, Department of Neurology, Cooper Medical School at Rowan University, Camden, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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