SPECIAL SECTION
Neurotrauma
IMAGINE A WORLD
WITHOUT WORDS
WHEN BRAIN INJURIES INTERFERE WITH THE ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE ///
BY SOPHIA BONG
A
community ’ s language can be expressed in writing , speech and sign language . Language allows us to communicate our thoughts and feelings and turn them into words for others to understand . But if the intricate web of the language control centers – the brain ’ s switchboard , so to speak – becomes disrupted by stroke , trauma or dementia , people can find themselves at a literal loss for words to express their thoughts or understand the thoughts of others . This is what it can be like for a person with aphasia .
A person stricken with aphasia remains as intelligent as they were prior to the disorder , but may have a variety of their language skills affected when trying to communicate with others . Imagine being surrounded by people speaking a foreign language to you that you do not understand . You , in turn , speak to them in a language that they don ’ t understand . That is similar to what a person with aphasia experiences – a lack of word comprehension .
One million people in the U . S . currently are diagnosed with aphasia ; eighty thousand new cases are diagnosed each year .
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Innovative Health - Winter 2017