Aphasia is a complex language disorder that impairs an individual’s ability to communicate.
It can occur suddenly after a stroke or head injury or develop gradually due to a growing brain tumour or disease. Beyond speaking, aphasia can also impair listening and understanding, reading, and writing skills.
People living with aphasia may struggle to understand what others are saying to them, or to find the right words and/or construct coherent sentences, making it challenging to express themselves. In the most severe instances, individuals with aphasia may be non-verbal, meaning they cannot speak at all.
It is important to note that aphasia does not impair intelligence. It’s a language disorder, not a cognitive disorder. So someone with aphasia might struggle to find words or construct sentences, but they can still think clearly, understand complex ideas, and make sound decisions — their brain is just having trouble expressing or processing language.
