Aphasia

Language is an essential part of our lives that we often take for granted. With it, we can communicate our thoughts and feelings, lose ourselves in novels, send text messages, and greet friends. It's hard to imagine being unable to turn thoughts into words. But if the delicate web of language networks in your brain became disrupted by stroke, illness, or trauma, you could find yourself truly at a loss for words. This disorder, called aphasia, can impair all aspects of communication. People who have aphasia remain as intelligent as ever. They know what they want to say, but can't always get their words to come out correctly. They may unintentionally use substitutions called paraphasias, switching related words, like saying 'dog' for 'cat', or words that sound similar, such as 'house' for 'horse'. Sometimes, their words may even be unrecognisable.