Matt's Speech and Cognition
A slow process of recovery
Matt's Speech and Cognition
A slow process of recovery
“He’d suffered a stroke and crashed his car. He knows he is at the hospital. Even though he can picture the word, he finds that he cannot say it. It’s as if a river has coursed through the center of his mind, leaving one side cut off from the other. He recognizes his wife but can’t come up with her name because it is stuck on the other side, where he can’t get it. So, he does the next best thing and introduces her saying, “She’s my sweetie pie.” “
The Machine That Might Save Your Life by Oliver Broudy
AARP June/July 2021pg 56
Chapters:
Definitions of Common Speech and Swallowing Impairments:
Aphasia is a language impairment. A person may have trouble understanding others (receptive aphasia) or expressing oneself (expressive aphasia). They may have difficulty retrieving the names of objects, putting words together into sentences, reading and writing even their name, letters, and numbers.
Anomia is the inability to remember names and difficulty finding the right words.
Apraxia is an impairment of motor control, coordination, and planning. Apraxia can impact limb, oral motor, and speech function. The individual has difficulty with the complex neurological coordination of speech muscles necessary to say individual speech sounds. A person with apraxia has difficulty producing and imitating speech sounds. Common errors include inconsistent sound distortions, omissions, and substitutions.
Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder caused by a disruption in motor control. Depending on the muscles involved, people may speak in a flat, hoarse voice, loudly, quietly, or with jerky inflections. There may be changes in the individual’s normal pitch. They may mumble or strain to speak. They may slur their speech or talk too slowly or fast. Dysarthria can make it difficult to be understood.
Dysphagia is a problem with swallowing certain foods, liquids, or even your own saliva. Some individuals can’t swallow at all. Other signs of dysphagia include coughing or choking when eating or drinking. Swallowing problems can lead to aspiration, the passage of food or fluids into the lungs.