Aphasia is a communication disorder that results from damage to the parts of the brain that control language. For most people, this damage is in the left side of the brain.

It impairs a person’s ability to:

• Speak (expressive language)

• Understand language (receptive language)

• Read

• Write

• Use numbers 
  
  

  Important Note: Aphasia affects the use of language; it does not affect a person’s intelligence. People with aphasia are still the same person and have the same level of cognitive ability and memory as before, but they struggle to communicate their thoughts.

   

  Causes

   

  The most common cause of aphasia is a stroke. Other causes include:

  • Severe head injury (Traumatic Brain Injury or TBI)

  • Brain tumors or infections

  • Progressive neurological diseases (like certain types of dementia, known as Primary Progressive Aphasia or PPA)