HealthInfo Canterbury
Overview of aphasia
Tirohanga whānui ki te mate whakangū
Aphasia (pronounced a-fay-zee-a) is a language disorder.
There are many different types of aphasia. It affects your ability to communicate with others.
If you have aphasia, you may find it hard to:
- talk
- use numbers and do calculations
- read
- write
- understand what other people say.
It can be hard to understand messages and get your messages out.
You know what you think and how you feel, but you may find it hard to describe this with words. Your hearing and vision are not affected.
Causes of aphasia
Aphasia is caused by damage to the language centre of the brain. This is usually in the left side of the brain.
You may have had:
- a stroke (which is the most common cause)
- a brain tumour
- a head injury (for example, in a car accident)
- an infection in your brain.
Being understood with aphasia
Communication is interacting with another person, having a conversation and sharing your thoughts, wants, needs, opinions and ideas.
We need to communicate to make and sustain relationships and take part in life activities.
If you have aphasia, you can communicate in multiple ways. For example, you can:
- write and draw
- use gestures and tone of voice
- use facial expressions
- point to pictures.
Ask people to give you time to say what you want to say.
Your speech-language therapist can offer more specific ways to help you communicate.
HealthInfo recommends the following pages
- Aphasia New Zealand
Information, support and resources for people with aphasia and the people who care for them.
- Stroke Foundation
Help and support for people affected by stroke and their whānau (families).
On the next page: Helping someone with aphasia communicate
Written by speech-language therapists, Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand Waitaha Canterbury. Adapted by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed July 2023.
Sources
Review key: HISCD-79694
