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Aphasia is an acquired language disorder due to brain damage and which may include difficulty in producing or comprehending spoken or written language. Stroke is the commonest cause and each year 50,000 new patients develop aphasia. People with aphasia differ in their speech output and in their fluency. Some people communicate reasonably well, while others have very limited powers of expression. This review will describe the neurology of speech and aphasia, and will focus on the role of the speech and language therapist in dealing with people with aphasia.
Clinical Relevance: Dentists and their staff should be aware that after a stroke some people are unable to talk or have limited powers of expression. Comprehension might be impaired and people with aphasia may be unable to grasp some common language, such as appointment letters and patient information.
Article
I was Senior Lecturer in the Oral Biology Department of Glasgow Dental School; I was Postgraduate Convener and deputy course organizer for the 1st BDS. Then, in January 2009, I had my stroke.
I was washing one morning when I had my stroke. I was conscious and remember the journey to the hospital. The right side of my body was paralysed and numb. I could not speak, but I was fully aware of my surroundings. Now, 3 years on, I have survived my stroke and I want to tell my story. I can now speak so people can understand. I can respond to better than I can initiate conversation. Sometimes, the wrong words come out, which I recognize. Writing is a strain, but given time, I get there – witness this paper!
Most will have heard of the paralysis, numbness, or visual problems but fewer will have heard of aphasia.1 Code and co-workers2 surveyed 929 people in England, USA and Australia to determine what they knew about aphasia. Fewer than 18% said they had heard of aphasia, but only 2–7% had some basic knowledge of aphasia. More recently, in 2008, a GfK NOP survey3 revealed over 90% of people in the United Kingdom had never heard of aphasia. The Aphasia Alliance coined the term ‘Aphasia – the hidden disability’;3 this is because there is no visual sign that someone with aphasia has a disability.
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