1. Lost for Words Workshop
Aphasia / Dysphasia
Lost for Words Workshop

2. About Aphasia
Speech and Language Therapist

3. Nicola Harkin Expert in Aphasia Had a stroke many years ago
when she was very young

4. 1st Explain about Aphasia
2nd Round table conversation
3rd Feedback top tips

5. 1st Explain about Aphasia
Dysphasia means
the same as Aphasia

6. Aphasia is caused by a stroke in a particular part
of the brain

7. It affects people of all ages
No one person has exactly the same
pattern of aphasia

8. Feeling no one understands At times just want to give up!
Everyone reacts to aphasia in their own unique way
Need to understand more about aphasia
Feeling no one understands
At times just want to give up!
ANGER –Why me?

9. Families also react to aphasia in their own unique way

10. It takes time to adjust to living with aphasia
It takes time to find a meaningful life again
with aphasia
Aphasia can and does improve

11. Nicola: How hard was it to rebuild your life with aphasia?

12. More about aphasia

13. I have aphasia
I am NOT stupid

14. ✖ ✖ ✖ ✖ Making sense of what you hear Making sense of what you read
Speaking- finding words and making sentences ✖
Writing/typing

15. Filing Cabinet of all the Meanings of the words we know and use
Making sense
of what you
hear
Making sense of what you read
Speaking
finding words and making sentences
Writing/typing

16. ‘cat’ Wants to say ‘dog’’ Get into right drawer But wrong file
FILING CABINET OF WORD MEANINGS
Get into right
drawer
But wrong file
‘cat’

17. ‘Girl’ Wants to say ‘boy’’ Get into right drawer But wrong file
FILING CABINET OF WORD MEANINGS
Wants to say ‘boy’’
Get into right
drawer
But wrong file
‘Girl’

18. ‘No’ Wants to say ‘yes’ Get into right drawer But wrong file
FILING CABINET OF WORD MEANINGS
Wants to say ‘yes’
Get into right
drawer
But wrong file
‘No’

19. ‘10’ ‘9’ Wants to say Get into right drawer But wrong file
FILING CABINET OF WORD MEANINGS
Wants to say
‘10’
Get into right
drawer
But wrong file
‘9’

20. ‘10’ ‘9’ Wants to say Get into right drawer But wrong file
FILING CABINET OF WORD MEANINGS
Wants to say
‘10’
Get into right
drawer
But wrong file
‘9’

21. Gets the meaning for ‘cat’
FILING CABINET OF WORD MEANINGS
Get into right
drawer
But wrong file
Hears ‘dog’
Gets the meaning for ‘cat’

22. Gets the meaning for ‘Tuesday’
Hears ‘Monday’’
Get into right
drawer
But wrong file
Gets the meaning for ‘Tuesday’

23. Gets the meaning for ‘8pm’
Hears ‘6pm’’
Get into right
drawer
But wrong file
Gets the meaning for ‘8pm’

24. Sometimes the filing cabinet does not open
Why?

25. Why? NEVER PUT A PERSON WITH APHASIA UNDER PRESSURE TO FIND A WORD
Sometimes the filing cabinet does not open
NEVER PUT A PERSON
WITH APHASIA
UNDER PRESSURE
TO FIND A WORD
Why?
When the person with aphasia is
put on the spot to find a word

26. Why? NEVER CORRECT A PERSON WITH APHASIA
Sometimes the filing cabinet does not open
Why?
NEVER CORRECT A PERSON WITH APHASIA
When the person with aphasia is corrected by their Communication Partner

27. Why? DO NOT PUSH YOURSELF WHEN TIRED –DOESN’T HELP
Sometimes the filing cabinet does not open
Why?
DO NOT PUSH YOURSELF WHEN TIRED –DOESN’T HELP
When the person with aphasia is TIRED, EMOTIONAL, UPTIGHT

28. Sometimes the filing cabinet does not open

29. Some Solutions
Small group
conversations

30. 1. Don’t avoid speaking to me
Top tips from people with aphasia
1. Don’t avoid speaking to me
2. Don’t worry if you do not understand
everything I want to say

31. 3. Speak more slowly – but not as if to a child
Top tips from people with aphasia
3. Speak more slowly –
but not as if to a child
4. Get my attention first
before you ask me something

32. 5. Do not make me tell you something you already know…
Top tips from people with aphasia
5. Do not make me tell you something
you already know…
not good communication!
6. Get my attention first
before you ask me something

33. 7. If it is nearly right –that is good enough.
Top tips from people with aphasia
7. If it is nearly right –that is good enough.
It is more important to get the gist of the
communication
8. Relax and become good guessers!
It is a communication partnership

34. 9. Do not be hostile or judgemental
Top tips from people with aphasia
9. Do not be hostile or judgemental
10.Allow me to use other ways to
get my meaning across

35. People with aphasia are amazingly creative in getting their message across

36. I can guess the person is talking about their Cat
I can guess that the person is talking about home
I can guess that the person is talking about London

37. Some wonderful verbal strategies
Run ins…………1,2,3………3
Using intonation and facial expression

38. Around your table:
What do you think about the top tips?
Add more tips for us to learn about

39. Brief Summary from each table

40. Aphasia / Dysphasia
Thank you