Northern Arizona University

SPEECH & LANGUAGE CLINIC APHASIA

Aphasia is a language disorder caused by brain injury in which one or more aspects of language comprehension and production are impaired to varying degrees. The most common cause is a stroke that deprives oxygen and causes lesions in the brain.

Broca's aphasia, also known as nonfluent aphasia or expressive aphasia, is associated with left-hemisphere strokes and is characterized by effortful, limited verbal output and may be accompanied by right-sided body weakness. Wernicke's aphasia, also known as fluent aphasia or receptive aphasia, is associated with left-hemisphere strokes and is characterized by fluent but meaningless speech and may be accompanied by right-sided body weakness. Global aphasia affects receptive and expressive language and is typically the most severe type of aphasia.

Aphasia Services at the NAU Speech, Language, and Hearing Clinic

The NAU Clinic offers services in the evaluation and management of aphasia. Evaluation services may include a case history interview, assessment of oral-motor and speech skills, and informal and formal assessment of receptive (understanding of) language and expressive (use of) language.

Therapy services are designed for the individual client's needs and may include language production, functional to high-level language, and language comprehension of simple and complex communication. Use of compensatory strategies and therapeutic strategies such as Melodic Intonation Therapy may be used.

Web-links - Aphasia

http://www.aphasia.org

http://www.mirconnect.com/specificnational/brain.html

http://www.stroke.org

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NAU Speech, Language, and Hearing Clinic NAU, Health and Human Services, #66 Flagstaff, Arizona 86011-5045 Clinic: (928) 523-8110 Email: Clinic