Philadelphia (June 2002)—June is National Aphasia Awareness Month. Most people have not heard about aphasia, nor do they know what it is until someone in their family or a friend has aphasia. Aphasia is an impairment of language, affecting a person’s speech, and the ability to read or write. Aphasia is always due to a brain injury, most commonly from a stroke, particularly in older individuals. But it can also come from head injuries, brain tumors, or from infections. 

It’s estimated that about one million people in the United States have acquired aphasia. And there are no definite steps that can be taken to prevent its onset in the event of a stroke or head injury. As yet there are no drugs known to cure aphasia. 

Speech Language Pathologists, like Mari Doran at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, are professionals who treat persons with aphasia. Doran cautions that therapy does not guarantee a “cure.” The purpose of speech therapy is to help the patient fully utilize remaining skills and to learn how to compensate to communicate better. 

Doran says that aphasia can be either mild, or so severe that communication with a patient is almost impossible. She adds that aphasia may affect only a single aspect of language use such as naming objects, or the ability to put words into sentences. Most often, however, aphasia impairs many channels of communication, greatly limiting communication. Speech Language Pathologists work to determine the amount of function remaining, and enhance the communication channels that are available.

For more information about aphasia, write to The National Aphasia Association, 156 Fifth Avenue, Suite 707, New York, NY 10010, or call Mari Doran, Magee’s Director of Speech Language Pathology, at (215) 587-3203.