Aphasia
Groups
BASH: (Berkshire) Tel: 01189 787074 or email: judygeorge@btopenworld.com
Connect : (London, Cornwall, Gloucester) Tel 020 7367 0840 or email: info@ukconnect.org
Different Strokes: (National) Tel 0845 130 7172 or email: info@differentstrokes.co.uk
Dyscover: (Surrey) Tel: 01737 819419 or email: info@dyscover.org.uk
NETA: (Newcastle) Tel: 0191 222 8550 or email: aphasia@ncl.ac.uk
SMASH: (Surrey) Tel: 020 8770 4058 or email: smash@smash-uk.org
Speakability: (National) Tel 020 7261 9572 or email: speakability@speakability.org.uk
Speakeasy: (Bury) Tel: 01706 825 802 or email: info@buryspeakeasy.org.uk
TALK: (Surrey) Tel: 01784 420371 or email: info@talksurrey.org.uk
Top Tips for 'Aphasia Friendlier' Communication
Connect: Here are some tips for good communication with people with aphasia. Download your own copy
and show to friends and family.
Different Strokes: Written, Images, For Longer Documents, Conversations, Public Speaking.
Stroke Association: Many people have communication problems after a stroke. About a third of
stroke survivors have some difficulty with speaking or understanding what others say, and this can be
frightening and frustrating. This factsheet is aimed at family members and carers who support people with
these difficulties. It explains the types of problems that can arise, the help and support available, and offers
some tips to aid communication.
Speech Language Therapy
British Aphasiology Society
The British Aphasiology Society (BAS) is a national interest group formed to foster the development of the
study of aphasia. Aphasia is an acquired language disorder that affects our ability to speak, read or write
language. These activities for most of us are done without much thought or effort and as such we take them
for granted. The act of storing and producing words and forming them into sentences is very complex with
many brain regions involved. Normally, the pieces all fit together so seamlessly, so that one is not even
aware of the individual components. But stroke (cerebral vascular accident - CVA) and other forms of brain
damage (head injury, tumour, and progressive disease) may compromise the efficiency of one component or
another, and in doing so, disrupt the integrated functioning of the system as a whole. Different facets of
language can be affected in different individuals. Some patients have particular problems with remembering
what words mean, others have problems remembering how words are pronounced. Some are unable to
combine sounds to create words, others to combine words to create sentences.
The BAS brings together people from many disciplines involved in language and communication such as
Speech and Language Therapy, Linguistics, Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, along with people with
aphasia and their carers.
NHS Choices:
Aphasia is a language disorder where people have problems speaking and writing. In some cases, people
with aphasia also find it difficult to understand the spoken and written word.
Aphasia is caused by damage to the parts of the brain that are responsible for understanding and using
language. Common causes of brain damage that can trigger aphasia include:
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Stroke: which is thought to be the most common cause, as around 1 in 3 people experience
some degree of aphasia after having a stroke
Severe head injury
Brain tumour
Progressive neurological conditions (conditions that over time cause progressive brain and
nervous system damage, such as Alzheimer’s disease)
Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists:
The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) was established on 6 January 1945 to promote
the art and science of speech and language therapy – the care for individuals with communication,
swallowing, eating and drinking difficulties. The RCSLT is the professional body for speech and language
therapists in the UK; providing leadership and setting professional standards.
We facilitate and promote research into the field of speech and language therapy, promote better education
and training of speech and language therapists and provide information for our members and the public
about speech and language therapy. Please use the navigation panel on the left to find out more about the
RCSLT – the services we provide, the campaign work we do with governments and partner organisations and
our activities with educators.
Charities
Aphasia Alliance: (National) Aphasia is a communication disability which occurs when the communication
centres of the brain are damaged. It is usually caused by stroke, but can also be caused by a brain
haemorrhage, brain tumour, or other neurological condition. The Aphasia Alliance is a coalition of key
organisations from all over the UK that work in the field of Aphasia.
We have united to raise awareness of Aphasia. The members of the Aphasia Alliance range from
very small local charities, to large national organisations.
Aphasia Now: (Gloucestershire) AphasiaNow is for people with aphasia
'AphasiaNow' was created by by people with aphasia, and is run for people with aphasia.
The vision of Aphasia Now is to be an aphasia-friendly website and to provide a weekly support group in
Gloucestershire.
Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland: (Scotland) CHSS launched a campaign to highlight the fact that a third of the
estimated 12,500 people who have a stroke in the Scotland every year will be left with aphasia. Aphasia is a
condition which affects the language skills of people after they have experienced brain damage. It can affect
speech, understanding, reading and writing.
Connect: (London, Cornwall, and Gloucestershire) Connect is a charity for people living with aphasia, a
communication disability which usually occurs after stroke or brain injury.
Dyscover: (Surrey) Dyscover is a charity providing long-term support and opportunities to people with
aphasia and their families. Daily sessions are led by professional speech and language therapists and are
designed to help people to adjust to living with aphasia. We help our members to develop strategies for
communicating, maximise abilities and provide help and support for partners, carers and other family
members.
North East Trust for Aphasia: (NETA) (Newcastle) Welcome to the North East Trust for Aphasia (NETA)
website. NETA is a charity which aims to support people with aphasia and their families in the North East.
NETA does this by funding the NETA Aphasia Support Centre, which offers long terms support to people with
aphasia, offering opportunities to take part in a variety of groups.
Speakability: (National) More than a quarter of a million people in the UK have problems with speaking,
reading, writing or understanding language. This communication disability is caused by damage to the
language centre’s of the brain. It can come as the result of a stroke, head injury, brain tumor or other
neurological illness. It should be noted that intellect is rarely affected.
Speakeasy: (Bury) Speakeasy is a charity for people with aphasia; a communication difficulty following a
stroke or head injury. At Speakeasy, speech and language therapists and volunteers provide long term help
and support. Speakeasy offers different activities for people to practise their communication learn new skills
and increase confidence.
TALK: (Surrey) Aphasia (or dysphasia) is a difficulty with language. A person with Aphasia (probably following
a stroke) may have difficulty in speaking, understanding, reading or writing. In short, communication can be
a very daunting challenge. Most of us are instinctively shy when we meet someone with communication
difficulties; and yet imagine being in their position. Frustrated because you can't get your point across,
although your intellect is quite undamaged; you can't argue, you can't chat with friends as you used to. You
know what you want to say, but you can't say it. The telephone can be a nightmare, as can shopping, dealing
with money, reading train or bus timetables. Aphasia can affect relationships, work, and personality. The
resulting loneliness and isolation affect not only the recovery’s quality of life, but that of family and carers.
Sometimes called the 'hidden disability', loss of language is not officially recognized as a disability - despite a
quarter of a million people in the UK suffering from dysphasia.
The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia: (National) After his stroke in 1988, Robin was unable to speak - he could say
"yes" and "no" but was not able to access language. It was a very frightening and frustrating experience. His
road after stroke was a long one, but without doubt his aphasia, the silent disability, was the one that most
affected his quality of life. His life was saved by prompt and highly skilled surgery. With the support from
family and friends and with intensive speech therapy, he slowly but surely began to recover. In 1992, Robin
founded the Tavistock Trust for Aphasia, the only grant making trust in the UK to focus solely on aphasia.
Robin’s hope was that everyone who has aphasia would be able to receive the kind of help he had received.
Resources are few today, but through funding innovative and inspirational projects and research we are
seeing his dream come true. The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia is not a memorial to Robin, it is part of his living
legacy. It is making a difference and I know he would be very proud of all that is being achieved.
Technology:
Browse Aloud: Bring your website alive with BrowseAloud’s high quality speech - now available for Mobiles,
Tablets, PCs and Macs. BrowseAloud adds speech and reading support tools to online content to extend the
reach of websites for the 20% of the population that requires reading support. This includes those with
dyslexia, learning difficulties, mild visual impairments and those with English as a second language. Video
Ivona: Text-to-speech (TTS) uses computer-generated synthetic speech to read out each word. It
can also be used to access things like menu options on electronic equipment such as computers. It
is commonly available in sat nav systems and railway station announcements. TTS is built into the
Windows and Macintosh computer operating systems, many mobile phones, tablet computers and
devices like the iPod touch. Third party TTS applications are available for many systems that do not
have one built in. For most people text-to-speech can be useful, but for those who struggle to read
the printed word, it can be an essential form of access. It has been used for many years to read
electronic documents, websites and emails. Video and Video
Kindle: If you use a Kindle reader to read electronic books and other documents, you might sometimes
prefer to have the device read text aloud to you. The Kindle is a battery-powered portable device made by
Amazon that can connect wirelessly to the Internet to download books and other printed documents. The
Kindle has a text-to-speech feature that enables you to have the device read material to you through
headphones or the built-in speakers.
Natural Reader: NaturalReader is a text-to-speech software with natural sounding voices. This easy-to-use
software can read to you any text such as Microsoft Word files, webpages, PDF files, and E-mails.
NaturalReader can also convert any written text into audio files such as MP3 or WAV.
NaturalReader has many other functions, such as audio editor and OCR. With audio editor, you can be your
own sound editor by recording, merging and editing audio files. OCR function works with your scanner to
convert printed characters into digital text and it is up to 99% accurate. This allows you to listen to your
printed file or edit it in a word-processing program.
Press Display: PressReader is a free application that enables you to download your favourite publications to
your PC, Mac, tablet, mobile device or eReader allowing you to read them even when you’re offline.
Powered by NewspaperDirect’s PressDisplay.com technology, PressReader provides access to over 2,200
full-content newspapers and magazines from 97 countries in 54 languages.
With every article, advertisement, crossword puzzle and cartoon presented in its original context,
PressReader offers many of the same rich user interface and intuitive interactive features PressDisplay.com
users have come to love. And with the added convenience of being able to hold your favourite publication
directly in your hands and read it from cover to cover just the way you would in-print, PressReader makes
reading full-content digital replicas an absolute delight with features such as: Video
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Auto-delivery of your favourite publications
Attention-grabbing SmartFlow stream (iOS & Android)
Printing full pages or articles
Sharing stories by email or on Facebook or Twitter
Saving articles to Evernote or Instapaper
Listening to articles using on-demand audio
Copying & pasting entire articles into note taking applications
Sharing your opinion by supporting or opposing a story
Adjusting font size and type
Automatically aligning with the beginning of an article using the option SmartZoom feature
Cross title search
Authorization of PressReader with a PressDisplay.com subscription
Text Help: It is easier to understand a block of text by listening to it, particularly if you struggle with reading.
Read&Write GOLD reads text aloud to you from any document on your computer. Text can be read using a
male or female voice. You can select your preferred voice and set the pitch, speed and volume to suit your
individual needs. Words are highlighted as they are spoken, which helps you to track where you are on the
page and it is proven to raise comprehension levels by 20%. Video
Write OnLine: Whether you're a budding author or you find writing really difficult, WriteOnline will help you
to create great documents and achieve your full potential. You'll find it really easy to use - you'll be up and
writing in no time! Create and edit documents anywhere just open your web browser and login - you can
access WriteOnline from home, school, college, anywhere! You can even access WriteOnline when you're
not connected to the Internet if you've logged in during the previous three days. Develop writing fluency
using built-in support hear your work read back to you with almost human-sounding speech. Find the words
you want quickly with Wordflow™ word prediction. Expand your vocabulary and structure your writing with
Wordbar® word banks and writing frames. Video
Software:
Aphasia Software Finder: The information found on this website is given in good faith and on the basis of
over 25 years experience of researching and using software for the treatment of aphasia. We always
recommend that you consult with your speech therapist about using software. The main reason that
software has a role to play in the treatment of aphasia is that no health service is ever likely to be able to
afford to fund the full amount of therapy that research shows that people with aphasia may benefit from.
We know that intensive therapy can improve people’s aphasia and may even lead to physical changes in the
brain. However the key word here is intensive. Imagine trying to run a marathon after only a week’s training!
The body can change but it takes a lot of work – body-building is another example. Some software also tries
to help you relearn words or phrases you may have lost. A lot of therapy involves intensive practice on fairly
straightforward exercises and research has shown that many people with aphasia can use a computer to do
these independently at home. Other research has shown that it is important to match the software to the
needs of the individual, hence the value of guidance from yo0ur therapist. There is no evidence to suggest
that using aphasia treatment software independently could cause any harm. There is now a wide range of
software available, and more coming onto the 0market.
Propeller speech & language therapy software: Do you assist a person who has had a stroke or head
injury? View our special section dedicated to assisting carers and others who provide help to relatives or
friends. Our proven computer programs can provide unlimited therapy practice in your own home. Video
Step by Step: Do you or someone you know have difficulty communicating due to aphasia? Do you struggle
to find the words you want to say? Do you want more intensive therapy at home, on a self-help basis?
StepByStep 4.5 is a new breakthrough approach, developed to provide structured computer therapy
exercises for people to use on their own. This empowering therapy puts you in control, with clinician
designed videos to help guide as therapy progresses. Video
Research:
Cambridge University: Centre for Speech, Language and the Brain: is part of the Department of Psychology at
the University of Cambridge. Our interdisciplinary research covers a wide range of issues in the cognitive
neuroscience of language, object processing, semantics, the ageing brain and cognition. We integrate
behavioural experimental and neuroimaging studies on healthy people, together with similar research on
brain-damaged patients.
City University: City Aphasia Research Clinic: The City Aphasia Research Clinic offers speech and language
therapy to people with aphasia and is collecting extensive research data, so that we can understand aphasia
better and explore the effects of therapy.
Manchester University Neuroscience and Aphasia Research Unit: The Neuroscience and Aphasia Research
Unit (NARU), within the School of Psychological Sciences, is a highly innovative research unit whose work
centres around 4 major themes. Topics in each theme are all investigated using an interdisciplinary
approach, and applying widely convergent research methods and techniques. Studies range from basic
neuroscience (fMRI, MR tractography, TMS) to neuropsychological and clinically-applied investigations of
both normal and neurological populations, including neurodegenerative disorders, stroke, traumatic brain
injury and herpes simplex encephalitis.
Newcastle University: North East Aphasia Centre: The Newcastle University Aphasia Therapy Resources
are based on extensive experience within the North East Aphasia Centre based at Newcastle University. They
draw on research into aphasia and aphasia therapy combined with the expert knowledge of a large group of
specialist speech and language therapists. We are excited to be able to share some of the learning about
aphasia therapy with the wider world and make these high quality resources available to all. The therapy
resources are designed work on particular areas of language processing but it is envisaged that they will be
used in a context which recognises the person’s individual needs and to facilitate overall communication.
Sheffield University: Cognitive Neuroscience of Speech and Language: Research in the Cognitive
Neuroscience group involves studies of speech and language processing in healthy children and adults, and
also in people with acquired brain lesions and developmental disorders. Methodologies include behavioural
studies, structural and functional brain imaging, and transcranial magnetic stimulation.
Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL: The Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL
(incorporating the Leopold Muller Functional Imaging Laboratory and the Wellcome Department of Imaging
Neuroscience) is an interdisciplinary centre for neuroimaging excellence.
We bring together clinicians and scientists who study higher cognitive function using neuroimaging
techniques. Our goal is to understand how thought and behaviour arise from brain activity, and how such
processes break down in neurological and psychiatric disease. Our research groups study all aspects of
higher cognitive function including vision, hearing, memory, language, reasoning, emotion, decision making
and social interactions. Home to SPM, the world's most popular tool for analysing neuroimaging data, the
Centre seeks to answer fundamental questions about how the brain works in order to improve human and
animal health. We host and train over 100 clinicians, scientists and support staff, and interact with over 200
collaborators both at UCL and throughout the world. As well as conducting scientific research, we offer a
wide range of educational and training opportunities to support the development of imaging neuroscience
both nationally and internationally, and have an active public engagement agenda.
Books
The Stroke and Aphasia Handbook (new edition): An essential tool to support people with stroke and aphasia
in asking questions, having discussions and conversations, and making choices and decisions. Easy-tounderstand information on all aspects of life following stroke - from the early days to picking up the threads
months and even years after the event. Developed in direct response to the experiences and needs of
people living with stroke and aphasia and validated by people who have first-hand experience of stroke and
aphasia, as well as medical and social services experts. Beautifully designed with dividers, communication
cards, straightforward text, signposts to further help and information, helpful illustrations, a glossary and a
quick-look guide to making communication easier.
Connect Press publications: Better Conversations, Caring and Coping, Having a stroke being a parent, Access
to the Arts, How to volunteer - A guide for people with aphasia, Volunteering and Aphasia: A guide for
organisations recruiting people with aphasia as volunteers, Stroke Talk.
Beyond Aphasia: Therapies For Living With Communication Disability: This book focuses explicitly on
therapeutic techniques developed from a social model approach to disability and learning to live with
difference. It describes theories, activities and methods of implementation developed from the work of
Connect with people with long term aphasia. Theoretical discussion runs alongside practical ideas for
therapy and evaluation, case studies and commentaries from the authors regarding the method and means
of implementation. Synthesises theory and practice in this new area of service delivery. Its non-impairment
led focus of the therapies means that it has wide appeal to therapists, health service professionals and
volunteers who work with people with chronic disabilities affecting lifestyle and communication.
The Aphasia Therapy File: Different from a textbook or academic journal, the File represents a collection of
explicit descriptions about therapy interventions written by practitioners themselves. The description of the
rationale for the therapy, the intervention itself and evaluation of outcomes are of paramount importance.
Each contributor guides the reader through the thinking that they engaged in as they decided what to do,
often with considerable frankness about the difficulties involved. The File will be of equal value to
experienced practitioners and students alike.
Talking About Aphasia: Living with Loss of Language After Stroke:
This book is about living with aphasia - a language impairment which can result from stroke. Drawing on indepth interviews with fifty aphasic people, it explores the experience of aphasia from the dramatic onset of
stroke and loss of language to the gradual revelation of its long-term consequences. The story is told from
the perspective of aphasic people themselves. They describe the impact of aphasia upon their employment,
education, leisure activities, finances, personal relationships and identity. They describe their changing
needs and how well these have been met by health, social care and other services. They talk about what
aphasia means to them, the barriers encountered in everyday life and how they cope. The book offers a
unique insight into the struggle of living with aphasia, combining startlingly unusual language with a clear
interlinking text.
Aphasia Inside Out: Reflections on Communication Disability: This innovative new book brings together a
number of different perspectives on aphasia, a communication impairment that can follow stroke.
Contributors include people with personal experience of aphasia, as well as therapists, counsellors,
educationalists, linguists and researchers who address issues of living with aphasia in their work. Whatever
their perspective, whether personal, theoretical or professional, contributors reflect on and explore aspects
of living with aphasia that have little place in conventional academic discourse. Accordingly, the chapters
cover a range of issues, for example aphasia and the Internet, time and poetry. The diverse contributions are
drawn together by an introductory chapter and a linking commentary. Aphasia Inside Out suggests new ways
of thinking about aphasia, offers insights into the nature of the disabling barriers faced, and explores some
creative possibilities open to people who live with communication disability. It will be a valuable resource for
any professional or layperson who encounters aphasia in the course of daily life.
On Aphasia: Or Loss of Speech, and the Localisation of the Faculty of Articulate Language: The different parts
of this essay have already appeared, at certain intervals, in the pages of the Journal of Mental Science and it
is in deference to the opinion of those whose judgment I am bound to respect, that I now venture to publish
them in a collected form. If I have failed to contribute anything towards bridging the chasm which separates
matter from mind, my researches will, at all events, tend to shrew how little we really know about that
wonderful piece of mechanism the human brain.
The Man Who Lost His Language: Sir John Hale is one of the world’s foremost Renaissance historians whose
book "The Civilization of Europe in the Renaissance" (1993) won the Royal Society of Literature's Heinemann
award and the international silver pen. Soon after delivering the second draft of his text, Hale had a stroke
that deprived him of the power of speech. His wife Shelia Hale, set out to find out what had happened and
how John might be brought back to normal as far as possible. The book combines a detailed account of
dysphasia and what he can tell us about language with a personal account of John and Shelia's own
experiences.
The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly: ‘Locked-in syndrome: paralysed from head to toe, the patient, his mind
intact, is imprisoned inside his own body, unable to speak or move. In my case, blinking my left eyelid is my
only means of communication.’ In December 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby, editor-in-chief of French ‘Elle’
and the father of two young children, suffered a massive stroke and found himself paralysed and speechless,
but entirely conscious, trapped by what doctors call ‘locked-in syndrome’. Using his only functioning muscle
– his left eyelid – he began dictating this remarkable story, painstakingly spelling it out letter by letter. His
book offers a haunting, harrowing look inside the cruel prison of locked-in syndrome, but it is also a triumph
of the human spirit. The acclaimed 2007 film adaptation, directed by Julian Schnabel, won Best Director at
Cannes and was nominated for the Palme d’Or.
My Year Off: Rediscovering Life after a Stroke: 'When I was just forty-two I suffered a severe stroke.
Paralysed on my left side and unable to walk, I was confined to hospital for three months, then spent about
a year recovering, slowly getting myself back into the world. When I was seriously ill in hospital, I longed to
read a book that would tell me that I might expect in convalescence and also give me something to think
about. . .'Not only a riveting account of his sudden illness, but of love being put under a real test: a heartwarming triumph' Kazuo Ishiguro, Sunday Times Books of the Year 'With its lucid heartfelt prose, My Year Off
gives voice to the millions of people who suffer strokes . . . More importantly, this book is a testament to the
parallel trials and courage of the family members of stroke victims' New York Times Book Review 'Few of us
can write in perfect health with the wit, skill, honesty and compassion that McCrum manages following a
stroke' Professor Anthony Clare.
Video
UK Connect: 4 Videos
Dyscover: Video
NETA: Video
Sarah Scott: Video 1 Video 2 Video 3 Video 4 Video 5 Video 6 Video 7
Star Trek DS9 O’Brien’s Aphasia: Video
Aphasia Aware sidebyside: Video
Training
City Lit: Communication group for people with aphasia: Do you experience some difficulties expressing
yourself following a stroke? In this group you can learn additional ways to help your communication. The
activities will include social conversations and discussions with a chance to share your experiences as well as
some structured work.