Terms Frequently Associated with Aphasia

Agrammatic aphasia

 non-fluent speech characterized by poor speech production and poor sentence structure; good single word comprehension but inconsistent sentence comprehension.

Anesthesia

complete loss of sensation of touch

Arteriosclerosis

commonly referred to as 'hardening of the arteries'. Build up of placque along the walls of the blood vessels resulting in a narrowing of the pathway for blood flow.

Atopagnosia

inability to recognize a limb or portion of your body as your own; more common in right hemisphere damage

Auditory agnosia

can hear sounds but cannot associate a meaning to it; can hear the phone ringing but the person does not recognize it as that

Auditory comprehension

the ability to understand verbal information 

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)

any means used, other than speech production, by an individual, in an attempt to make thoughts/needs known. May include gestures, writing, symbols, communication boards, eye blinks/gaze, voice output communication systems or more complex systems and technology. AAC may be used temporarily or permanently. It may be used in addition to the speech that the person is able to use or it may be a replacement of speech.

Broca's Aphasia

characterized by nonfluent speech, decreased verbal output, effortful speech, poor grammatical form, poor naming, poor reading, poor writing, can understand better than they can speak; person is usually frustrated because they are aware what they say is not making sense

Conduction Aphasia

 fluent speech, good understanding and articulation, poor repetition, poor naming, good reading comprehension but poor oral reading, poor writing, paraphasias

CT Scan

Computed Tomograpy: a picture/x-ray of the brain. Takes 20-30 minutes to complete

Dysarthria

slowed speech production due to weakness of the muscles necessary to produce speech, such as, the tongue, lips, jaw, and cheeks

Dysphagia

difficulty swallowing; frequently occurs after a stroke

Embolic CVA

a stroke that is caused by a fragment of material traveling through the brain which becomes lodged in a blood vessel and obstructs blood flow to the brain

Global Aphasia

severe comprehension and verbal production problems; person is often mute or repeats one word or phrase over and over

Hemmorrhagic CVA

a stroke caused by bleeding in the cranium; an area of pooled blood forms and kills brain tissue; most common cause of stroke in younger persons

Melodic Intonation Therapy

the use of singing or melody to facilitate verbal productions

Neglect

an unawareness usually of the left side of the body; more common with right CVA than with left CVA

Oral apraxia

inability to plan, sequence, coordinate, and initiate intentional motor movements of the tongue, lips, cheeks and jaw necessary to produce speech; is not usually observed in automatic movements or activities such as smiling or eating; may appear like stuttering and as quite effortful 

Orientation

knowing where your body is in space, who you are, the date, where you are and the purpose for being there

Paralysis

inability to willingly be able to move a muscle(s)

Paraphasias

also known as jargon; substitute one word for another; or one sound for the intended sound 

Paresis

indicates weakness of muscle movement

Perseveration

 repetition of a word or phrase; the person usually is trying to say something else but the same words are produced over and over

Thrombolic CVA a

 stroke that is cause by a fixed clot in a blood vessel; usually the result of placque buildup on the vessel wall

Vasospasm

a stroke caused by stoppage of blood flow in the brain due to a tumor or brain swelling 

Visual agnosia

inability to recognize something when looking at it

Visual comprehension

 the ability to understand written words, phrases sentences as well as symbolic signs

Verbal expression

the ability to formulate and express thoughts and/or needs using words, phrases, and sentences

Wernicke's Aphasia

characterized by decreased comprehension, fluent speech, poor repetition, hyperverbal, nonsensical speech, poor naming, poor reading and writing