Language Disorder - Aphasia - Research Paper Example

Section/# Aphasia: An Analysis and Aphasia, a word that traces its origin to the original Greek which quite literally means “speechlessness”, is ultimately a neural disturbance in the comprehension and formulation of language. This necessarily leads to varying degrees of “speechlessness” in which the most severe cases are not able to verbalize or comprehend whatsoever and the least severe merely have key blockages in the formulation of certain ideas connected to key concepts and/or emotions. Unlike many types of neural disorders, Aphasia is not something that is generally associated with a genetic predisposition. Rather, it is something that usually occurs as a result of a traumatic injury to the brain or as a result of a stroke. As a means of further understanding this unique disorder and seeking to express to the reader some of the key causes, symptoms, treatments, short and long-term physical implications, short and long-term psychological implications, and social implications that such a disorder necessarily portends, this analysis will perform a level of research into each of these topics listed. As has been stated, the causes of aphasia differ from those that occur in similar neurological disorders due to the fact that aphasia is almost invariably the result of some type of trauma or brain injury. Naturally, the trauma itself can result from a number of factors; however, the brain injury is almost exclusively related to the presence of a strong infection, brain tumor, dementia or stroke; with the latter being the most common precursor to the onset of aphasia. What each of these determinants have in common is a swelling, trauma, or lack of blood flow that ultimately damages the tissue within the brain associated with speech and language formulation. In this way, the different levels of severity which have been previously understood can be viewed as a function of the level to which actual brain matter has died (Legg & Penn 2013). As such, the level to which aphasia is represented can take the form of expressive aphasia, receptive aphasia, conduction aphasia, anomic aphasia, global aphasia, or primary progressive aphasia. Likewise, as has been referenced, the level of symptoms exhibited by the individual afflicted with aphasia can range from merely difficulty with certain abstract concepts or emotions to complete inability to formulate words or understand/comprehend speech. Furthermore, these wide range of symptoms are merely indicative of the range of damage that has been described (Hinckley et al 2013). This of course has special bearing and importance with regards to stroke patients due to the fact that the rapid onset of treatment after a stroke will ultimately work within the patients favor with regards to the ability of the intervention methods being able to counteract and oftentimes reverse, the loss of blood flow to the affected area of the brain; thereby decreasing the level of symptoms and the extent to which aphasia will be exhibited within the patient. As with many types of disorders that are the ultimate result of brain damage, there is no one proven and/or effective treatment option for sufferers of aphasia. Instead, the nearest way in which therapists and medical healthcare professionals can seek to assist those suffering with the disorder is by working to make new connections in different areas of the brain which have ultimately not been damaged. This can be accomplished in an number of ways with the most famous and reliable method being to use visual aids as a means of developing new areas of the brain to interact with speech and thought (Silkes et al 2012). Such a new learning approach is not a perfect system as it takes many individuals a very long time to attempt to integrate speech within a new area of the brain that was otherwise not intended for such. Depending upon the severity of the disorder, certain types of direct treatment methods which seek to target deficits can also be employed; however, these are wholly unsatisfactory when dealing with a situation in which a high severity of aphasia is exhibited upon the individual. With regards to the short and long term psychological as well as physical implications of such a disorder, these are intrinsically related to the degree of severity that is exhibited within the individual. As a function of this severity, key psychological long and short term effects can be as simple as seeking to relearn speech and linguistics within a particular realm that is otherwise forgotten or it could be as complex as seeking to develop an entirely new portion of the brain to deal with ideas and speech that is otherwise not acclimated to dealing with such a level of activity (Ellis 2010). By the same token, the physical long and short term determinants of the disorder are also directly linked to the ability level that the individual displays and/or the severity that is demonstrated. As such, one can understand that with a high severity of the disease, the individual would likely suffer physically due to the fact that they would not be able to enunciate their needs. Conversely, psychological determinacy can be understood based upon a high severity of the disease equating to a degree of frustration and even depression. One can easily determine the high level of social implications that such a disorder can portend due to the fact that speech is one of the primal mechanisms through which humans interact and integrate within society. Without this integral construct, the social ramifications of being unable to speak or properly enunciate can ultimately reduce an individual to what they would determine to be second-class status. Though great strides have been taken within society to ensure that individuals with disabilities are not judged or discriminated against, it is of course impossible to ensure that this never occurs and the risk is very present for those that suffer from aphasia in its various forms. In this way, the reader should be made aware of the fact that ultimately the most important aspect of aphasia is the rapidness of response that is administered after the trauma or stroke that ultimately leads to its exhibition within the individual. As has been illustrated, this factor is the most important with regards to coming as nearly as can be to reversing the disorder due to the fact that no “cure” or process has been found to actually reverse the damage in its entirety. References Ellis, C., Dismuke, C., & Edwards, K. (2010). Longitudinal trends in aphasia in the United States. Neurorehabilitation, 27(4), 327-333. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/NRE20100616 Hinckley, J., Worrall, L., Ganzfried, E., & Simmons-Mackie, N. (2013). A United International Voice for Aphasia. ASHA Leader, 18(1), 34-35. Legg, C., & Penn, C. (2013). A stroke of misfortune: Cultural interpretations of aphasia in South Africa. Aphasiology, 27(2), 126-144. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02687038.2012.684338 Silkes, J. P., Rogers, M. A., Oetting, J., & Kiran, S. (2012). Masked Priming Effects in Aphasia: Evidence of Altered Automatic Spreading Activation. Journal Of Speech, Language & Hearing Research, 55(6), 1613-1625. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2012/10-0260) Read More