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What is Wernicke’s Aphasia?
There are two different types of Aphasia: non-fluent and fluent. Wernicke’s Aphasia is a type of fluent aphasia where the ability to grasp the meaning of spoken words and sentences is impaired. Additionally, individuals with Wernicke’s Aphasia present with poor comprehension and often produce jargon or nonsensical words and phrases when attempting to speak. Utterances typically contain proper sentence structure and intonation but lack meaning. Individuals with Wernicke’s Aphasia are often unaware of how they are speaking. Wernicke’s Aphasia is caused by damage or lesions in the left side of the brain, typically following a stroke. This area of the brain that is affected is known as Wernicke’s area and it is responsible for reading, comprehending speech, and controlling language. Head trauma, tumors, infections or other neurological disorders may cause Wernicke’s Aphasia. In terms of symptoms, there are no physical signs or symptoms; however, severe comprehension deficits, attention deficits, and impairment of reading and writing skills are present. These impairments often lead to frustration, dependence on others to directio their daily schedule, no viable means of communicating basic needs, and no means of engaging in social interaction. A diagnosis of Wernicke’s Aphasia can be made following brain imaging tests such as an MRI or CT scan. A neurological evaluation as well as a comprehensive speech and language examination may be necessary. This might include asking you to perform certain commands, asking a question for you to answer appropriately, asking you to name and repeat objects, engaging in conversation, and testing your reading and writing skills. Speech and language intervention is most effective when it begins soon after a brain injury occurs. It is very common for family members and caregivers to be involved in speech intervention to learn ways to communicate effectively. When communicating with someone with Wernicke’s Aphasia, pay attention to your surroundings to try and figure out any contextual clues, slow down the rate of your speech, provide information in chunks, utilize gestures or pictures, repeat or rephrase information when needed, and most important, be patient.
– Jessica D.
