'KNOWING WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY, BUT YOU CAN'T FIND THE WORDS'.
So how do you find them?
How do you even start?
It starts with an assessment from a Speech and Language therapist, to determine which language skills have been damaged.
Was writing affected? Was it reading, speaking, understanding?
Which skills have been retained? Can you still write, but you can't say the words? Can you still understand what you read, and what people are saying, but again you can't say the words?!
One of my clients has really moderately reduced understanding of spoken words, and he was unable to read or write before his stroke, so we're looking at pictures which are of interest to him....
My client loves classic cars! In fact, he loves all modes of transport.
When he is shown a picture, I provide him with the first sound /k/. This then helps him to retrieve the word 'car' when confronted with the picture.
Sometimes he may need additional prompts, such as 'you drive a....', and then he will say the target word.
The above prompts aren't successful for everyone, as it sometimes takes trial and error of various methods in therapy. It's about remembering that each client is unique. Their brain injury is unique. Their way of learning is unique. Their recovery is unique.
Speech therapy aims to tap into what is best for the client with dysphasia (a language impairment), whilst targeting their goals for communication, and finding new routes and pathways for the brain to re-discover language.
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