Aphasia

There are four common types of aphasia that make up a vast majority of cases: fluent - often called Wernicke's; non-fluent - known as Broca's; anomic; and Primary Progressive Aphasia.

Rapp explained that there are different forms of the condition because each represents a different type of breakdown in the process of communication.

Whether it is the ability to translate thoughts into proper words, the ability to physically say words, or the ability to interpret and understand speech from others, each part of communication is a complex process, and even slight brain damage can cause issue.

While the condition does cause communication failures, Rapp notes that the person themselves is still the same.

Their thoughts, beliefs and feeling towards their loved ones remain, even if it can be frustrating and alienating for both the aphasia patient and those around them to deal with this condition.

Willis' family did not reveal what type he was facing, or how severe of a case he had, or what was the root cause found for the condition.

According to the Stroke Association, a UK based group, those who suffer Wernicke's aphasia have the ability to string together long sentences of words, but will often say things in a way that they do not make sense, or even use made up words.

They will also suffer from impaired reading and writing ability, and may have trouble understanding clear verbal communication towards them.

One example used by Rapp is that a person may misunderstand the sentence 'John kicked the dog'.

While the average person would clearly understand who kicked who in that scenario, a person dealing with this type of the condition may struggle to figure out whether John or the dog was the person that did the kicking.

Broca's aphasia will often cause a person to forget words or put together a proper string of words even when their brain can fully understand what they want to say.

A person suffering from this type of the condition will often use simple, short, sentences to get across speech as they are unable to properly say what they want to at times.

The Stroke Association says that these sentences will often be of around four words or less.

A person suffering from Broca's aphasia will also struggle with writing, but their reading ability is left unaffected.

Someone suffering from anomic aphasia may suffer to find specific verbs and nouns that they need to get their point across, and will speak very vaguely.

This may also translate into their writing, where they will just not be able to generate the correct words necessary to say what they would like to say.

Primary Progressive Aphasia aphasia damages a person's ability to communicate in virtually every single way.

A person suffering from this version of the condition will have trouble speaking, reading and writing.

Their ability to process and understand someone that is speaking to them is damaged as well.

Doctors can often detect aphasia via either an MRI or CT scan, and will be able to pinpoint the exact part of the brain that is causing the issue.

There is no way to fix or cure the condition entirely, but patients will often undergo speech therapy to help rebuild their language skills.

‘There’s not a lot of progress [with medication for the condition]… the treatment for aphasia is speech therapy,' Rapp said.

She noted that in some cases a person may undergo electric stimulation therapy alongside speech therapy in order to 'get the most' out of the experience.

Williamson said that 'strong family support is a critical piece of living successfully with aphasia.'

It is not always permanent, though, and how long it lasts and how severe it is often depends on how bad the damage to the brain is.

Stroke victims in particular that suffer aphasia can regain their speech, and often within only a few weeks.

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