Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is It?SymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentRecovery
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is It?
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Recovery
People with expressive aphasia are usually aware of their difficulty in speaking, which can be emotionally taxing.Fortunately, speech therapy is a valuable resource that can greatly improve communication skills and alleviate the impact of expressive aphasia on daily life.
This article will cover expressive aphasia, other aphasia types, symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatments.
Thierry Dosogne / Getty Images
What Is Expressive Aphasia?
Expressive aphasia is a language problem in which it’s hard for someone to say or write their thoughts. It’s a type of “non-fluent aphasia,” meaning that speaking is more challenging than understanding. People with this struggle might struggle to find the right words, form sentences correctly, or speak and write smoothly.
A Word From VerywellExpressive aphasia is one of the most frustrating language deficits a patient can have because they know what they want to say but struggle to convey it to those around them. Adapting to a deficit after speaking freely all your life can be a daunting task, but speech therapy and the patience and support of those around you can make a major difference.—NICHOLAS R. METRUS, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
A Word From Verywell
Expressive aphasia is one of the most frustrating language deficits a patient can have because they know what they want to say but struggle to convey it to those around them. Adapting to a deficit after speaking freely all your life can be a daunting task, but speech therapy and the patience and support of those around you can make a major difference.—NICHOLAS R. METRUS, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
Expressive aphasia is one of the most frustrating language deficits a patient can have because they know what they want to say but struggle to convey it to those around them. Adapting to a deficit after speaking freely all your life can be a daunting task, but speech therapy and the patience and support of those around you can make a major difference.
—NICHOLAS R. METRUS, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
Other Types of Aphasia
Aphasia can be divided into two main categories: fluent aphasia and non-fluent aphasia. The big difference between the two is how well they can speak compared to how well they understand.
Expressive vs. Wernicke’s Aphasia
Expressive aphasia is when someone struggles to speak fluently, like in Broca’s aphasia. They might speak in short, broken sentences with limited words.
Wernicke’s aphasia makes it hard to understand and use words correctly. People with this type of aphasia might say things that don’t make sense or have trouble understanding others.
Expressive vs. Global Aphasia
While expressive aphasia affects the ability to produce speech, global aphasia is a more severe form of language impairment that affects both speech production and understanding. Global aphasia leads to significant difficulties in communicating thoughts and understanding others.
Symptoms of Expressive Aphasia
People with expressive aphasia experience the following challenges:
People with expressive aphasia often find speaking and reading more challenging, but they generally have a good understanding of spoken language and can read effectively.
What Causes Expressive Aphasia?
Several factors can contribute to the development of expressive aphasia:
Causes of expressive aphasia in children may include:
How Is Expressive Aphasia Diagnosed?
Expressive aphasia is diagnosed through a comprehensive assessment process. Your healthcare providers typically follow these steps:
If imaging reveals signs of aphasia, a speech-language pathologist or speech therapist performs additional assessments. These assessments evaluate the extent of brain damage’s impact on speech, reading, writing, and language comprehension. Based on the results, your healthcare provider can recommend a treatment plan.
How Expressive Aphasia Is Treated
When it comes to treating expressive aphasia, there are several approaches and strategies that can help improve communication skills and overall quality of life:
Can a Person With Expressive Aphasia Fully Recover?
While recovery from expressive aphasia varies for each individual, some people can regain a significant amount of their language abilities through therapy and rehabilitation.
Consistent and dedicated speech-language therapy can improve speaking, understanding, and communication. It may take several months or years. However, complete recovery to pre-aphasia levels may not always be possible, and ongoing support and practice may be needed for long-term management.
Summary
Treatment options such as speech therapy, communication aids, and family support can significantly improve communication skills and quality of life, although full recovery may vary.
9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.MedlinePlus.Aphasia.National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.Aphasia.National Aphasia Association.Aphasia therapy guide.National Aphasia Association.Wernicke’s (receptive) aphasia.National Aphasia Association.Global aphasia.The Aphasia Community.Anomic aphasia.Stroke Association.Types of aphasia.American Stroke Association.Types of aphasia.Scottish Rite Foundation.What is aphasia disorder in children?
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.MedlinePlus.Aphasia.National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.Aphasia.National Aphasia Association.Aphasia therapy guide.National Aphasia Association.Wernicke’s (receptive) aphasia.National Aphasia Association.Global aphasia.The Aphasia Community.Anomic aphasia.Stroke Association.Types of aphasia.American Stroke Association.Types of aphasia.Scottish Rite Foundation.What is aphasia disorder in children?
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
MedlinePlus.Aphasia.National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.Aphasia.National Aphasia Association.Aphasia therapy guide.National Aphasia Association.Wernicke’s (receptive) aphasia.National Aphasia Association.Global aphasia.The Aphasia Community.Anomic aphasia.Stroke Association.Types of aphasia.American Stroke Association.Types of aphasia.Scottish Rite Foundation.What is aphasia disorder in children?
MedlinePlus.Aphasia.
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.Aphasia.
National Aphasia Association.Aphasia therapy guide.
National Aphasia Association.Wernicke’s (receptive) aphasia.
National Aphasia Association.Global aphasia.
The Aphasia Community.Anomic aphasia.
Stroke Association.Types of aphasia.
American Stroke Association.Types of aphasia.
Scottish Rite Foundation.What is aphasia disorder in children?
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
