Global Aphasia

What is global aphasia?

Global aphasia is the loss of most of your language abilities. This means you can’t read, write, speak or understand what others say to you. It’s the most severe form of aphasia.

Brain damage, often from a stroke or traumatic brain injury, causes this language disorder. Your symptoms may improve over time, but your outlook varies.

While global aphasia affects your language, it doesn’t affect your intelligence.

What are the symptoms of global aphasia?

The symptoms of global aphasia include:

• Little to no understanding of spoken words.
• Significant difficulty communicating through reading and writing.
• Little to no ability to express yourself.

Your symptoms may make you feel isolated and depressed since you have trouble communicating and understanding others.

Can people with this condition read or write?

No. You won’t be able to read or write with global aphasia.

What causes global aphasia?

Extensive damage to different language processing centers of your brain, specifically Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area, causes global aphasia. These parts of your brain help you understand language, access vocabulary and grammar, and form words and sentences.

Brain damage can happen after:

• A stroke
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI).

How is global aphasia diagnosed?

A healthcare provider will diagnose global aphasia after a physical exam, neurological exam and testing. During the exams, your provider will ask you or your caregiver questions about your symptoms and health history. During the exam, you may choose to have someone you trust with you to help, since it’ll be difficult to speak or understand the questions your provider asks.

Your provider may order imaging tests, like an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or CT scan (computed tomography scan), to look for brain damage.

You may need to see a speech-language pathologist (SLP) to confirm a diagnosis. A speech-language pathologist will test your language skills to determine the severity of your language processing issues. This evaluation also helps determine what treatment options to try.

How is global aphasia treated?

Your healthcare provider will recommend speech therapy to treat global aphasia. During speech therapy, you’ll work closely with a speech-language pathologist. They’ll help you:

• Regain lost language and communication skills.
• Learn alternative ways to communicate.
• Educate your loved ones and caregivers on how to communicate with you effectively.

Your provider may recommend the following techniques:

• Augmentative and alternative communication: There are a variety of ways to communicate without using speech. A healthcare provider will teach you different ways to express your wants and needs. For example, you may use a board with pictures on it and point to the image of a tree if you want to go outside.
• Visual action therapy: This is a type of nonverbal therapy (you don’t need to use words to participate). Your provider will teach you gestures (physical movements) to represent objects. Your movements help you communicate. For example, you may curve your fingers around an imaginary glass and move your hand to your mouth to say that you’d like something to drink.
• Music therapy (melodic intonation therapy): A provider will use rhythms and melodies to stimulate language processing areas of your brain. This may improve your speech and how you understand language.

In addition, clinical trials (tests on humans) are in progress to learn about new treatment methods and their effectiveness for global aphasia. You may qualify to try medications or types of brain stimulation like transcranial magnetic stimulation during clinical trials.

Can it be prevented?

You can’t prevent all causes of global aphasia, but you can reduce your risk by:

• Managing any underlying medical conditions.
• Taking safety precautions when participating in high-risk activities.
• Contacting emergency services at the first sign of a stroke to minimize brain damage.

Can you fully recover from global aphasia?

Your recovery depends on many factors, like the extent of brain damage, for example. Your healthcare provider can give you the best advice for your situation.

Symptoms are usually the most severe immediately after a stroke or brain injury. You may notice symptoms get better in the weeks to months following the event.

Some people make a full recovery, but others may have lingering symptoms throughout their lives. The most severe cases require lifelong management.

When should I see a healthcare provider?

Visit a healthcare provider if you or a loved one experiences language difficulties that affect your ability to speak, understand what others say, read and/or write. These often happen suddenly after an accident or stroke. A healthcare provider can determine what treatment options will work best for your situation.

What questions should I ask my healthcare provider?

If you’re caring for a loved one with global aphasia, one of the best ways you can help is to ask the important questions, like:

• Will my loved one make a full recovery?
• How often should they participate in speech therapy?
• How do I communicate with my loved one who has global aphasia?