Dysphasia symptoms can occur with a variety of conditions, including stroke, head injury, brain tumors, seizures, and neurological disease. They can be mild and may go unnoticed or severe, with complete loss of speech and comprehension abilities.
Some of the Dysphasia symptoms listed below are a result of damage to the area of the brain responsible for language. These areas are called Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area, both of which can be found in the frontal lobe on the left side of the brain.
Expressive Aphasia: This type of dysphasia affects the ability to speak and understand words clearly, causing problems with communication that could range from using a phone or writing an email to talking to family members.
They might also have problems with articulation (using the sounds in speech), which means they can’t pronounce words properly. They might make small, isolated sounds or they might not say anything at all (mutism).
This can be a problem with fluency as well, because people with this type of aphasia have trouble repeating back what you say to them.
These types of aphasia are usually caused by brain damage that comes on quickly, such as a stroke or severe head injury. In these cases, aphasia is often accompanied by other symptoms, such as weakness or numbness on one side of the body.
Receptive Aphasia: This type of dysphasia is the most common cause of aphasia and is caused by damage to the area of the brain that controls how we understand and use language. They might have problems with understanding questions, abstract words, confusing like-words, or interpreting statements in a figurative way — like “I’m running late.”
Combined/Global Aphasia: This is the most severe form of dysphasia and it is caused by widespread damage to the area of the brain that is responsible for speaking and understanding language. They might struggle to communicate with people, especially those with other cognitive impairments.
Other signs of this kind of dysphasia include problems with naming objects, remembering numbers and names, difficulty with grammar, and confusion about what is meant by idioms or common sayings.
Treatment is similar to other language disorders and typically involves a speech-language therapist working with the individual to restore as much language as possible, teach compensatory strategies and/or establish other methods of communication. It is important to start aphasia therapy as soon as possible after the condition has started, because it can take time to fully restore speech and communication skills that have been affected by brain damage.
They may need a combination of speech and language therapy, as well as other services to help them get the most out of their treatment. These services can include sign language, tactile feedback, or other assistive devices.
These symptoms can happen to anyone, but they are more common in middle-aged and older adults. They are most likely to occur as a result of a stroke or other brain damage, but they can also develop slowly over time with age or with degenerative conditions.
