GROUP 3– WHAT ARE ADULT LANGUAGE DISORDERS?
SLIDE ONE
WHAT ARE ADULT LANGUAGE DISORDERS?
SLIDE TWO

As people age, they tend to experience changes in language functioning
o use or understanding of complex syntax
o vocabulary knowledge
SLIDE THREE

Medical conditions that cause them primarily affect older individuals
o stroke and
o dementing illnesses
SLIDE FOUR

Common language after effects
o aphasia
o right hemisphere communication disorders
o language of generalized intellectual impairment
SLIDE FIVE

What is APHASIA?
o A communication disorder that results from damage to the parts of the
brain that contain language (typically in the left half of the brain)
o Right side of the brain: additional difficulties beyond speech and
language issues (e.g. stroke)

The National Institute on Neurological Disorders and Stroke estimates that
approximately one million individuals suffer from aphasia in the United States
SLIDE SIX

Causes of Aphasia
o Stroke
o Any disease or damage to the parts of the brain that control language

Brain tumors

Traumatic brain injuries

Progressive neurological disorders.
SLIDE SEVEN

Aphasia may cause difficulties in:
o Speaking
o Listening
o Reading
o Writing
o DOES NOT AFFECT INTELLIGENCE
SLIDES EIGHT TO NINE

Signs and Symptoms of Aphasia
o Difficulty producing language:

Experience difficulty coming up with the words they want to say

Substitute the intended word with another word that may be
related in meaning to the target (e.g., "chicken" for "fish") or
unrelated (e.g., "radio" for "ball")

Switch sounds within words (e.g., "wish dasher" for "dishwasher")

Use made-up words (e.g., "frigilin" for "hamburger")

Have difficulty putting words together to form sentences

String together made-up words and real words fluently but
without making sense
SLIDES TEN TO ELEVEN

Signs and Symptoms of Aphasia
o Difficulty understanding language:

Misunderstand what others say, especially when they speak fast
(e.g., radio or television news) or in long sentences

Find it hard to understand speech in background noise or in
group situations

Misinterpret jokes and take the literal meaning of figurative
speech (e.g., "it's raining cats and dogs")
SLIDES TWELVE TO FOURTEEN

Signs and Symptoms of Aphasia
o Difficulty reading and writing:

Difficulty reading forms, pamphlets, books, and other written
material

Problems spelling and putting words together to write sentences

Difficulty understanding number concepts (e.g., telling time,
counting money, adding/subtracting)
SLIDES FIFTEEN TO SIXTEEN

How is aphasia diagnosed?
o The SLP evaluates the individual with a variety tools to determine the
type and severity of aphasia. It includes assessment of:

Auditory Comprehension: understanding words, questions,
directions, and stories that are spoken

Verbal Expression: producing automatic sequences (e.g., days of
the week), naming objects, describing pictures, responding to
questions, and having conversations

Reading and Writing: understanding or producing letters, words,
sentences, and paragraphs

Functional Communication: using gestures, drawing, pointing, or
other supportive means of communication when he/she has
trouble getting a point across verbally
SLIDES SEVENTEEN TO EIGHTEEN

Treatments available for people with aphasia:
o The type of treatment depends on the needs and goals of the person
with aphasia.

Individual or group sessions

Improve specific language skills affected by damage to the brain

SLP also helps the person with aphasia develop and use
strategies to improve overall communication in a variety of
situations (e.g., life participation approach to the treatment of
aphasia)
SLIDE NINETEEN

Treatments available for people with aphasia:
o Later on recovery

The SLP may work with a vocational specialist to help the person
return to work or school, if appropriate

The SLP may also work with employers and/or educational
specialists to implement the use of compensatory strategies in
these settings and may work with them to modify the
environment to meet language needs
SLIDES NN to MM

What can I do to communicate better with the person with aphasia?
o Get the person's attention before you start speaking.
o Maintain eye contact and watch the person’s body language and use of
gesture.
o Minimize or eliminate background noise (TV, radio, other people).
o Keep your voice at a normal level. Do not speak loudly unless the
person asks you to do so.
o Keep communication simple, but adult. Don't "talk down" to the person
with aphasia.
o Simplify your sentence structure and emphasize key words.
o Reduce your rate of speech.
o Give the individual time to speak. Resist the urge to finish sentences or
offer words.
o Communicate with drawings, gestures, writing, and facial expressions in
addition to speech.
o Encourage the person to use drawings, gestures, and writing.
o Use "yes" and "no" questions rather than open-ended questions.
o Praise all attempts to speak and downplay any errors. Avoid insisting
that that each word be produced perfectly.
o Engage in normal activities whenever possible.
o Encourage independence and avoid being overprotective.
SLIDE VDSVSV

Organizations
o Academy of Neurological Communication Sciences and Disorders
o Aphasia Hope
o National Aphasia Association
o Stroke Association
SLIDE DSVSDVSFV

Right hemisphere language disorders
o Can result from stroke.
o Affects the side of the brain that is not dominant for language
o Strokes that are restricted to the right hemisphere in older adults
appear to have little effect on phonology, morphology, or syntax, and
their consequences for lexical-semantic processing are unclear
o Adults with right hemisphere damage can be particularly impaired in
pragmatic aspects of language.
SLIDE SDFSDGSG

Language of generalized intellectual impairment (Wertz)
o Is a diagnostic label that refers to language disorders resulting from
neurologically degenerative processes such as Alzheimer's disease
o Both sides of the brain typically are affected by the degenerative
process
o May have a constellation of language deficits that includes any or all
that typify aphasia and right hemisphere language disorders
o Have other cognitive deficits:

memory and attention: cause, contribute to, or confound their
language symptoms.
LAST SLIDE
REFERENCES
http://www.asha.org/
http://medicine.jrank.org/