
Aphasia can generally be broken down into the following types:

Generally speaking, there are 2 main types of speech problems that occur after stroke: aphasia and apraxia of speech.Īphasia involves difficulty producing and/or interpreting language, caused by damage to a specific area of the brain. There are two main areas of the brain associated with language: Broca’s area, which is associated with producing language, and Wernicke’s area, which is associated with comprehending language. This is because the language center of the brain resides in the left hemisphere. When stroke affects speech, it’s often the result of a left hemisphere stroke.

Then we will discuss available treatment options.
#Stroke affecting speech how to#
To help you understand how to recover speech after stroke, this article will outline how stroke can affect speech. Both conditions can inhibit a stroke survivor’s speech and communication. If you or a loved one has suffered a stroke and is in need of speech-language treatment, contact us today.Has a stroke affected your speech? It could be a sign of aphasia or apraxia of speech. SLPs and SLP students at the Speech-Language Institute of Salus University work with stroke victims daily to provide them with the most effective strategies and exercises for recovery. Speech-language therapy after a stroke can enhance someone’s recovery period. In order to help a improve the cognitive skills of a patient who has had a stroke, the SLP may introduce certain strategies into the person’s routine such as using a daily planner/organizer and writing down a variety of activities to help with recalling events. Aided communication systems: paper and pens, whiteboards, electronic communication aids, ( applications on smartphones/tablets or physical devices that provide the user with various symbols and words they can select and the device will speak the choices out loud).įor those who struggle swallowing, an SLP will evaluate the client’s current swallowing abilities and recommend feeding techniques, diet changes and/or proper body positioning for swallowing safely.Unaided communication systems: physical gestures and body language.They may also utilize augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technologies, which include all forms of communication (other than oral speech) used to express thoughts, needs, wants, and ideas. If the client has weakness in the muscles used for speech production or trouble coordinating their speech movements, an SLP can provide strategies focused on making speech more understandable and how to compensate for muscle weakness. To help someone improve their ability to understand and produce language, an SLP may focus on treatments which include practicing word retrieval, exercising conversation skills in a group setting, having structured discussions and role-playing everyday communication situations. How speech-language pathologists work with stroke patientsĭepending upon the person’s deficits, a speech-language pathologist (SLP) will create a customized treatment program tailored to the skills upon which the client would like to improve. Dysphagia: trouble swallowing due to weakened muscles and/or muscle coordination.Cognitive- Communicative: difficulties in attention, memory, problem solving, awareness and reasoning.Apraxia: knowing what one wants to say, but having trouble saying it because of discoordination between the brain and the muscles used for speech.Dysarthria: slurred speech because of muscle weakness.Aphasia: difficulty understanding and producing speech properly.Some of the most common speech-language deficits following a stroke are: Stroke deficits and speech-language therapy Many stroke victims are left with physical, sensory, cognitive and communication deficits, which can take weeks, months or even years to improve depending on the stroke’s severity. A stroke occurs when a clogged or erupted artery interrupts blood flow to the brain, causing brain cells to die because of the lack of oxygen. Each year, strokes affect more than 795,000 Americans, leaving many with lasting side effects, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
