Finding an Aphasia SLP After Stroke
A guide for stroke survivors and families navigating aphasia diagnosis and finding the right speech-language pathologist.
What Is Aphasia?
Aphasia is a language disorder caused by damage to the parts of the brain that control language — most often from stroke, but also from traumatic brain injury, brain tumor, or progressive neurological diseases. It affects the ability to speak, understand spoken language, read, and write. Critically, aphasia does not affect intelligence — it is a communication impairment, not a cognitive impairment. People with aphasia may know exactly what they want to say but be unable to retrieve the words or organize them into sentences.
Types of Aphasia
Aphasia presents in many forms depending on which brain areas are affected:
- Broca's Aphasia (Expressive) — Difficulty producing speech; comprehension may be relatively preserved. Speaking is effortful and non-fluent.
- Wernicke's Aphasia (Receptive) — Fluent speech but poor comprehension; words may be substituted or jargon used.
- Anomic Aphasia — Primary difficulty with word-finding; often the most common presentation post-stroke.
- Global Aphasia — Severe impairment in both production and comprehension.
What to Look for in an Aphasia SLP
Aphasia treatment is evidence-based and specialized. Look for SLPs who mention aphasia as a primary specialty, and who have experience with treatment approaches like Constraint-Induced Language Therapy (CILT), Script Training, and Aphasia Communication Partner Training. Telehealth is increasingly validated for aphasia treatment and may expand access when local specialists aren't available.