aphasia
Pronunciation: uh-FAY-zhuh
Language disorder affecting speech, writing, or comprehension following brain injury, commonly documented in stroke assessments.
Full Definition
Aphasia is an acquired language disorder that affects a person's ability to communicate through speech, writing, or comprehension. It results from damage to language-processing areas of the brain, most commonly following stroke, traumatic brain injury, or brain tumors. In clinical documentation, neurologists distinguish between different types including Broca's aphasia (difficulty with speech production), Wernicke's aphasia (fluent but nonsensical speech), and global aphasia (severe impairment across all language functions).
Usage
Usage note: Distinguish from dysarthria (motor speech disorder) and apraxia (motor planning disorder) in clinical contexts.
In Context
- "The patient exhibited Broca's aphasia with intact comprehension but severely limited speech output." — stroke assessment report
- "Speech therapy was initiated to address the post-surgical aphasia following tumor resection." — treatment plan