Aphasia is a term used for the disorder of language. The most common form of aphasia is dysphasia where the speech is impaired although there is no loss of speech. In some cases, the person suffering from aphasia is able to write but not speak or vice versa.
· In other cases, though unusual, many patients can sing extremely well and clearly but can’t speak.
· Aphasia many a times occur with Dysarthria or Apraxia, which too are speech disorders.
The causes of aphasia:
The aphasia may occur due to lesion in the brain mainly to the areas which are associated with language. One of the common areas for lesion is Broca’s area. The lesions are inevitably found in the left hemisphere of the brain where the language is produced and comprehend.  The causes of aphasia are many and varied but the major causes include brain injury and stroke. Brain tumor, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease are also responsible for causing aphasia. If there is any hemorrhagic cause in the brain, then also aphasia can occur.
The symptoms of aphasia:
The symptoms of aphasia are many. In the patients of this disorder, one or more symptoms may occur. Some of the symptoms are-
· inability to understand and comprehend language, write or read
· not able to pronounce even when there is no weakness or paralysis of the muscles
· speaking spontaneously becomes hard
· can’t form words or name objects
· use and creation of neologisms which are meaningless to others
· Paraphasia, Dysprosody and Agrammatism are common
· Leaves the sentences incomplete

Types of Aphasia:
There are eight major types of aphasia that are commonly found. They include Wernicke’s Aphasia, Transcortical Sensory Aphasia, Conduction Aphasia, Nominal Aphasia, Broca’s Aphasia, Global Aphasia, Transcortical Motor Aphasia, Transcortical Mixed Aphasia, Subcortical Aphasia and Acquired Childhood Aphasia (ACA)

The neurologist is the first person who can diagnose aphasia while treating any brain injury or damage. If suspected of aphasia, the person is sent to pathologist dealing with speech and language. After detail investigation that include tests of ability to speak, write and converse, the disorder is diagnosed.

 

Treatment of Aphasia:
Some patients may recover without any treatment, whereas in most case language recovery is slow and incomplete. Speech therapy helps to restore the language but it is a lengthy process. The support groups and Stroke clubs play an important role in treating the aphasia patients. Family members can also help them to recover by allowing them to speak as much as they wish and motivating them to recover.

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