Talking About Aphasia

'This book is a wonderful idea and it meets a heretofore unmet need. It derives from a particularly interesting database, since it deals with aphasia in aphasic people's own language...It is strongly recommended.' Professor Audrey Holland, Department of Speech Pathology, University of Arizona, USA This book is about living with aphasia - a language impairment which can result from stroke. Drawing on in-depth interviews with fifty aphasic people, it explores the experience of aphasia from the dramatic onset of stroke and loss of language to the gradual revelation of its long-term consequences. The story is told from the perspective of aphasic people themselves. They describe the impact of aphasia upon their employment, education, leisure activities, finances, personal relationships and identity. They describe their changing needs and how well these have been met by health, social care and other services. They talk about what aphasia means to them, the barriers encountered in everyday life and how they cope. The book offers a unique insight into the struggle of living with aphasia, combining startlingly unusual language with a clear interlinking text.

'This book is a wonderful idea and it meets a heretofore unmet need. It derives from a particularly interesting database, since it deals with aphasia in aphasic people's own language...It is strongly recommended.'' Professor Audrey Holland, Department of Speech Pathology, University of Arizona, USA This book is about living with aphasia - a language impairment which can result from stroke. Drawing on in-depth interviews with fifty aphasic people, it explores the experience of aphasia from the dramatic onset of stroke and loss of language to the gradual revelation of its long-term consequences. The story is told from the perspective of aphasic people themselves. They describe the impact of aphasia upon their employment, education, leisure activities, finances, personal relationships and identity. They describe their changing needs and how well these have been met by health, social care and other services. They talk about what aphasia means to them, the barriers encountered in everyday life and how they cope. The book offers a unique insight into the struggle of living with aphasia, combining startlingly unusual language with a clear interlinking text.

"This book will show you how to do expert speech and language stimulation and therapy at home throughout your loved one's daily activities. You will first learn to stimulate your loved one's speech and language through the use of questions that garner yes and no answers. From there, you will begin asking questions that require easy one-two word responses from your loved one. Once mastered, you will move to three-word answers and build thereon until your loved one or client can answer in phrases, and short sentences which will jump-start longer sentences, more independent speaking and, ultimately, conversation"--P. [4] of cover.

A loss for words...something we all have experienced. Imagine living each day trying to find the words, understand what is being said, having trouble reading and writing. Welcome to the world of aphasia. This book provides much needed insight into this devastating communication disorder through the eyes of clinicians, caregivers and persons with aphasia. Increase your knowledge of aphasia and learn strategies to increase public awareness of aphasia. Explore innovative approaches to aphasia rehabilitation and groups. Read personal and candid stories of frustration, courage, hope, love and acceptance. Words can escape a person but compassion, respect and humor will always remain.

A thrilling and propulsive novel of an Antarctica expedition gone wrong and its far-reaching consequences for the explorers and their families "leaves the reader moved and subtly changed, as if she had become part of the story" (Hilary Mantel). “McGregor’s depiction of speechlessness, both metaphorical and physical, makes the novel much more interesting than if he had provided a page-turner about a botched expedition in Antarctica . . . McGregor’s carefully composed dialogue, filled with the repetition of so few words, had an eerie effect on me: for several days my own inner dialogue was often composed of the same words, as though I, too, was discovering how they could express drastically different emotions yet remain unreadable to the world." —Yiyun Li, New York Review of Books Remember the training: find shelter or make shelter, remain in place, establish contact with other members of the party, keep moving, keep calm. Robert 'Doc' Wright, a veteran of Antarctic surveying, was there on the ice when the worst happened. He holds within him the complete story of that night—but depleted by the disaster, Wright is no longer able to communicate the truth. Instead, in the wake of the catastrophic expedition, he faces the most daunting adventure of his life: learning a whole new way to be in the world. Meanwhile Anna, his wife, must suddenly scramble to navigate the sharp and unexpected contours of life as a caregiver. From the Booker Prize-longlisted, American Academy of Arts & Letters Award-winning author of Reservoir 13, this is a novel every bit as mesmerizing as its setting. Tenderly unraveling different notions of heroism through the rippling effects of one extraordinary expedition on an ordinary family, Lean Fall Stand explores the indomitable human impulse to turn our experiences into stories—even when the words may fail us.

"Aphasia is a debilitating disorder, resulting from brain damage, which causes a person to lose the ability to understand or express speech. While aphasia is sometimes permanent, some people can completely recover their language ability spontaneously or with treatment. This monograph consists of four chapters that provide details about the disorder and describe various treatment options. Chapter One reports non-invasive brain stimulation's contribution to the study of phonological, syntactic and semantic language processing, as well as the recent interest in connections between language and motor systems. Chapter Two describes linguistically focused intensive group therapy and discusses the specific needs of adolescents and young adults with acquired aphasia. Chapter Three presents a case report of a patient with post-traumatic aphasia. Chapter Four provides details about subcortical aphasia, which is a language disorder caused by injuries in subcortical areas, such as the basal ganglia, white matter tracts, and thalamus, but not by injuries in cortical language areas, such as Wernicke's and Broca's areas"--

How do people with brain damage communicate? How does the partial or total loss of the ability to speak and use language fluently manifest itself in actual conversation? How are people with brain damage able to expand their cognitive ability through interaction with others - and how do these discursive activities in turn influence cognition? This groundbreaking collection of new articles examines the ways in which aphasia and other neurological deficits lead to language impairments that shape the production, reception and processing of language. Edited by noted linguistic anthropologist Charles Goodwin and with contributions from a wide range of international scholars, the articles provide a pragmatic and interactive perspective on the types of challenges that face aphasic speakers in any given act of communication. Conversation and Brain Damage will be invaluable to linguists, discourse analysts, linguistic and medical anthropologists, speech therapists, neurologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, workers in mental health care and in public health, sociologists, and readers interested in the long-term implications of brain damage.

This book is the definitive reference guide to clinical models, as well as specific clinical techniques, for providing client-centered group treatment for aphasia and other neurogenic communication disorders. It provides a wealth of insight and global perspective in the provision of care in aphasia and related conditions for students, clinicians, and professionals in other health-related disciplines. Key Features: * The book is designed for day-to-day use for busy practitioners * Expert clinicians are the authors of each of the chapters giving the reader authoritative guidance * Each chapter follows the same basic outline for quick and accessible reference * Tables, charts, and summaries enhance the text