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Contact the Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic at 928-523-8110 or shclinic@nau.edu.
Aphasia
About
Aphasia is a language disorder caused by brain damage. Some problems associated with aphasia include: speaking (expressive language), listening (receptive language), reading, and writing. The most common cause of aphasia is a stroke that affects the language-dominant hemisphere of the brain. For the majority of people, the left hemisphere is the dominant hemisphere for language. There are various types of aphasia. For example, Broca’s aphasia is characterized by difficulty finding words, limited verbal output, and right-sided weakness. Wernicke’s aphasia is characterized by fluent, excessive verbal productions with little meaning and poor receptive language. Global aphasia affects all aspects of communication and is typically the most severe type of aphasia.
Who can this affect?
People of all ages who have suffered brain damage to the language-dominant hemisphere of the brain.
Evaluation services
- case history interview
- assessment of oral-motor skills
- assessment of speech skills
- informal and formal assessment of receptive (understanding of) language
- informal and formal assessment of expressive (use of) language
Therapy services
- language production—functional to high-level language
- language comprehension of simple and complex communication
- compensatory and therapeutic strategies such as Melodic Intonation Therapy