Tackling aphasia,
one word at a time

After a stroke or brain injury, survivors with aphasia spend weeks, months and even years working to get out just one word. After her stroke, Mary couldn’t say a single word for seven weeks. Learn about her struggle to regain those lost words.
Special bonus: The 2-minute animated film illustrating the aphasia experience took home a Gold and Bronze Lion award at the Cannes Lion International Festival of Creativity. Watch the animated film here.

 

Tackling aphasia,
one word at a time

After a stroke or brain injury, survivors with aphasia spend weeks, months and even years working to get out just one word. After her stroke, Mary couldn’t say a single word for seven weeks. Learn about her struggle to regain those lost words.
Special bonus: The 2-minute animated film illustrating the aphasia experience took home a Gold and Bronze Lion award at the Cannes Lion International Festival of Creativity. Watch the animated film here.

 

What is aphasia?
Aphasia is a communication disorder that can happen after a brain injury, stroke or aneurysm, and affects about two million Americans. Language skills are stored in the left half of the brain, and when injury occurs to that section, it can impair a person’s ability to speak, read, write or understand language.
Aphasia can range from mild to severe. The mild end of the spectrum might cause a sensation of “the word is on the tip of my tongue,” while the severe form could feel like everybody is speaking a completely different language.
What is aphasia?
Aphasia is a communication disorder that can happen after a brain injury, stroke or aneurysm, and affects about two million Americans. Language skills are stored in the left half of the brain, and when injury occurs to that section, it can impair a person’s ability to speak, read, write or understand language.
Aphasia can range from mild to severe. The mild end of the spectrum might cause a sensation of “the word is on the tip of my tongue,” while the severe form could feel like everybody is speaking a completely different language.
What’s your #OneWord?
Share your story on social media using the hashtag #OneWord.
Tip of the tongue
If you have aphasia or are caring for someone living with it, you know how challenging it can be to get even one word out. Often the word feels like it’s on the tip of the tongue, desperately straining to get out.
We understand the struggle. So, we worked with an illustrator to visualize the grit it takes to get the right word out. Check out these imaginative posters, and see if you can figure out all the words starting with “sh” and “tr” that are fighting to get off the tip of the tongue.
CLINICIANS
You can incorporate these as posters in your therapy sessions in many ways, addressing verbal expression, auditory comprehension, attention and memory. Request a free print of your choice of poster and a worksheet of other therapy ideas for use in your clinic by contacting us.
Help others be aphasia aware. Share these resources.
Aphasia overview document
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Demystifying aphasia infographic
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Communicating with aphasia guide
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Spread the word social toolkit
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