Aphasia Definition

Wondering about the aphasia definition? Aphasia is a condition that causes a person to be unable to communicate. The word aphasia comes from the Greek and its definition literally means "no speech." When someone suffers from aphasia, he may not be able to form words, clearly express his thoughts and may have difficulty understanding the things others say to him. When someone has aphasia, he may also lose the ability to write or read.

Aphasia can be split into four types. Expressive aphasia occurs when someone struggles to come up with the words to describe what he is thinking or feeling. Receptive aphasia means someone cannot understand what he is reading or hearing. Someone with anomic aphasia cannot come up with the proper word to describe something. He may forget the word for pencil, for example. Global aphasia is defined as a complete loss of the ability to speak, read, write and understand.

A number of things can cause of aphasia. Stroke is the most common cause.  Dementia, tumors in the brain and injury to the head can also lead to aphasia. In some cases, a person can develop aphasia gradually as a result of a degeneration of the cells in the brain.

In a few cases, people with aphasia may recover the ability to communicate on their own. Most people need some sort of speech or language therapy to recover, though. Therapy may include computers and technology and may take place in a group setting. While many people do make progress, few completely get over aphasia even with therapy.