June: Also National Aphasia Awareness Month

Aphasia – what is that? Aphasia is the inability to communicate with speech. Someone can be completely aphasic, unable to speak at all, or they can be aphasic in such a way that they’re speaking, but they’re not making much sense to the listener.

People with aphasia haven’t lost their mental capacity. Unless they’ve had some sort of head trauma that caused more damage to their brain, their intelligence is left intact. That’s what can make aphasia all that more cruel. They can think, but they can’t let you know what they’re thinking. Remember that as frustrating as it is for you to try to figure out what an aphasic person is saying, it probably doesn’t come close to the frustration of the person with aphasia.

The National Aphasia Organization has a great tip sheet on how to communicate with people who are aphasic. Tips are very simple, but often if you aren’t told them, you may not think of them. Things like “eliminate background noise,” and encourage other modes of communication.

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Image: MorgueFile.com