Aphasia and Other Communication Challenges Following Stroke

Course overview

Communication following a stroke can be difficult for many reasons, depending on the location, type and severity of the cerebrovascular accident (CVA). Aphasia is the most common of such communication impairments, affecting about¿2,000,000 people in the United States, which is about 25-40% of all stroke survivors. While other communication deficits following stroke have a varied range of prevalence. This course briefly covers the range of communication deficits which may follow a stroke, to provide an overview for the interprofessional team. This includes aphasia, dysarthria, apraxia of speech, cognitive deficits and voice disorders. Following a review of the variety of factors and classifications of aphasia, time will then be spent on the additional types of communication deficits, to include their definitions, treatments and tips for communication for both the person recovering from the stroke as well as tips for the communication partners.