What is Fluent Aphasia? Speech Therapy for Fluent Aphasia
Fluent Aphasia
Navigating life after an acute brain injury can be challenging, especially when your injury affects the way you communicate. Fluent Aphasia is a type of communication difficulty caused by damage to the language centres in the brain that result in speech that flows easily, but where the words coming out may not make sense.
While living with Fluent Aphasia can be very frustrating for both the person living with the condition and their family, there is hope. Speech therapy can help improve communication and help the person living with aphasia to maintain their quality of life. Keep on reading to find out about the different types of fluent aphasia and what speech therapy can help with.
Different Types of Fluent Aphasia
Wernicke’s Aphasia
Wernicke’s Aphasia is caused by damage to the temporal lobe (above and behind the left ear). This area plays a role in hearing and sensation as well, which is why it is sometimes referred to as ‘sensory aphasia’. People with Wernicke’s Aphasia speak in long sentences that may sound fluent, but the words can be incorrect or made-up. They’re often unaware their speech doesn’t make sense, which can make communication confusing for both parties.
Because of this, Wernicke’s Aphasia can create a communication barrier that impacts the person’s ability to engage meaningfully in conversation and return to social activities they used to enjoy. This is sometimes exacerbated by the fact that people experiencing Wernicke’s Aphasia can often be unaware that their speech doesn’t make sense or that their spoken words are nonsensical, which can cause communication frustration for both communication partners.
Conduction Aphasia
Conduction Aphasia is a relatively rare type of Aphasia is the result of damage to the connection between language areas in the brain – a pathway called the arcuate fasciculus. A person experiencing Conduction Aphasia may have difficulty finding the right words in conversation and will struggle to repeat back information they are told. It’s worth noting that people with Conduction Aphasia can usually speak and understand reasonably well.
Anomic Aphasia
Anomic Aphasia is a type of fluent aphasia where the individual will often struggle to find the right words when communicating. It is considered a milder form of aphasia, but it can still be very frustrating for the individual – especially when they’re at a loss for words. You may notice in conversation that when they can’t think of the word they want to say, they’ll describe the word or idea… or stop talking mid-conversation!
A person with anomic aphasia will usually speak in complete, grammatically correct sentences; however, the vocabulary used may be vague; making what they say hard to follow.
Transcortical Sensory Aphasia
This type of fluent aphasia is often caused by damage to the left temporo-occipital or parieto-occipital regions of the brain. Like Transcortical Motor Aphasia, these individuals will be able to repeat what is said to them but are likely to struggle to understand the meaning of the words they’re saying. When talking they may make errors, saying semantically similar words (e.g. “truck” for “car”, “tea” for “coffee”).
Speech Therapy for Fluent Aphasia
If someone you love and care for has been given a diagnosis of fluent aphasia, it can be overwhelming at first. We often don’t realise how valuable being able to communicate and understand others is until we are faced with a situation like this. The good news is there are plenty of things you can do as a communication partner of someone with fluent aphasia to support their understanding and meaningful engagement in conversations. You can learn more about what you can do over on our other blog article here.
One of the most beneficial things you can do in the early stages post-diagnosis is to get access to high quality, frequent speech therapy. If you’ve been discharged from hospital, your team will generally provide some recommendations and supports to help you navigate outpatient and community access to speech therapy. If required, you may be able to find a mobile Speech Pathologist who can come to your house to conduct speech therapy! Our team at Speak and Swallow Speech Therapy provide this at-home speech therapy service to people living in North Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.
What Does Speech Therapy Involve?
If you’re wondering what you can expect when starting speech therapy, here’s a brief overview:
During your initial appointment you will be able to ask the Speech Pathologist questions about the difficulties you are facing. They will likely ask for discharge reports from hospital and an overview of any rehabilitation your loved one with aphasia took part in. After completing their assessment and preparing a detailed report of your results, the Speech Pathologist will work alongside you to set goals you can progress towards achieving through ongoing therapy. To work towards improving communication after a diagnosis of Fluent Aphasia, you will likely see the Speech Pathologist every one or two weeks to work towards your goals.