Norma Paquin
Aphasia is a communication impairment that affects all aspects of language, including speaking, understanding speech, reading, and writing. Imagine going to a foreign country where you do not speak the language, or you only remember a few words from your high school or college language course. You would have difficulty saying what you mean, understanding what others were saying to you, reading the language, and writing things down. This provides a little insight into what it might be like to have aphasia.
Aphasia is caused by a brain injury, typically due to stroke, traumatic brain injury, or some other illness. Depending on the exact location of the brain injury, aphasia can manifest itself in many different ways. Some people with aphasia have more difficulty understanding what is said to them and reading than they do speaking. Other people with aphasia have more difficulty saying what they want to say but understand much of what is said to them. Sometimes aphasia is more severe and affects understanding, speaking, reading and writing quite broadly.
Norma