What is Aphasia?

Aphasia is a neurological disorder caused by  brain damage typically as a result of a stroke,but any disease or injury that affects the language areas of the brain can result in aphasia.

It's a loss or reduction of language,includes talking, understanding, reading, and/or writing.Primary signs of the disorder include difficulty in expressing oneself when speaking, trouble understanding speech, and difficulty with reading and writing.

Aphasia is not a disease, but a symptom of brain damage. Most commonly seen in adults who have suffered a stroke, aphasia can also result from a brain tumor, infection, head injury, or dementia that damages the brain. Cognition- how we acquire language, and communication- the use of language, are the underlying processes which may be affected in aphasia. Some people may recover completely from aphasia while others may have permanent speech and language difficulties of varying degree.

It is thought that about 1 million people in the USA today suffer from aphasia. The type and severity of language dysfunction depends on the precise location and extent of the damaged brain tissue.