Terminology Explained
Aphasia
A language impairment which may be acquired from a stroke, traumatic brain injury or dementia.
Aphasia means no language, whereas dysphasia is defined a disordered language.
Aphasia may impact on one's ability to understand, speak, read and/or write.
Apraxia
A speech disorder which impacts on one's ability to coordinate their speech muscles; tongue, lips, palate, jaw, to express an intended word.
You may be able to say words spontaneously but not to command.
Apraxia may occur as a result of an acquired brain injury.
Dysarthria
A Speech disorder which may arise as a result of damage to the nerves responsible for speech; resulting in weak speech muscles, potentially causing one to present with slurred speech or reduced speech volume.Â
Dysarthria may be occur as a result of an acquired brain injury, or a progressive neurological condition.
Terminology Explained
Dysphonia
Dysphonia is defined as having an abnormal voice.
Voice impairments can arise due to multiple rather than one sole reason.
Your voice may be described as being, weak, hoarse, quiet, rough, breathy, strained or raspy.
Dysphagia
A disorder of swallowing, which may arise from an acquired brain injury (stroke or road traffic accident), or a progressive neurological condition (Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Neuron Disease, Parkinson's Disease, Huntington's Disease, Dementia). Signs of dysphagia are coughing, choking, wet voice quality or shortness of breath whilst or shortly after eating and drinking, or the presence of unexplained chest infections.
Cognitive Communication Disorder
Difficulty processing, retaining information secondary to a brain injury or impairment.