Communication Tips

Below are some helpful suggestions on how to communicate with someone who has aphasia.

Remember, each person with aphasia is different so some of these tips may be work while others may not.

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How To Help A Person With Aphasia Understand Others:

1) Reduce background noise:
  • Try to speak in a quiet place. Turn off the TV, radio, etc. There is no need to shout.
2) Speak slowly and simply:
  • People with aphasia take a longer time to process language. Try to speak slowly and always use an adult tone of voice.
  • Use short, simple sentences. Stay on one topic at a time.
3) Have a pen and paper handy:
  • Writing down key words, and drawing while you are talking, might help the person with aphasia understand you better.
4) Give the person with aphasia lots of time to respond:
  • When a person with aphasia can’t find the words to say, it may take a while for them to figure out another way to get their point across. Give them the time needed to speak; try not to finish their sentences for them.

How to help a person with aphasia express themselves:

1) Acknowledge when you don’t understand the person with aphasia.
2) Ask the person with aphasia to say it another way, or suggest that they use a different communication mode:
  • gesture
  • point
  • write
  • draw
  • use a communication book
Be open to all communication modalities. Remember that the goal is to understand the message, not to get perfect speech.
3) Ask simple yes/no questions, or ask questions and then provide simple, possible choices.
4) If you hit a roadblock, it’s OK to ask if you can drop it and come back to the conversation later.

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