Symptoms of aphasia:

Symptoms of fluent aphasia

People with fluent aphasia are able to speak normally but the actual words they use carry no recognisable sense, meaning that their speech is impossible to understand.

Often, they will insert nonsense or made-up words into their speech, such as ‘musopops’ or ‘daydusm’.

This inability to produce meaningful language is also reflected in their writing ability. They can write fluently, but the text they produce makes no sense.

People with fluent aphasia also often have problems understanding spoken language, though in some cases, they can understand written language.

In most cases of fluent aphasia, the person affected by aphasia does not realise that there is anything wrong with their use of language, so can become angry and frustrated at other people’s inability to understand them.

Symptoms of non-fluent aphasia

People with non-fluent aphasia will speak slowing and haltingly; often struggling to get out their words. Their sentences are often incomplete, with many words left out, though the meaning of the sentences can usually be understood.

Their ability to write will be similarly affected.

A person with non-fluent aphasia can usually understand spoken language to some degree though they can often have problems understanding grammar. For example, people with non-fluent aphasia may not be able to tell the difference in meaning between ‘Maureen slapped the naughty boy’ and ‘the naughty boy slapped Maureen’.

People with non-fluent aphasia can also have great difficulty in reading, especially longer, more complicated words.

Unlike fluent aphasia, a person with non-fluent aphasia is aware of their language difficulties and can often become frustrated at not being able to speak fluently.

Symptoms of global aphasia

In cases of global aphasia, all aspects of communication are impaired. These include:

• The ability to speak,

• The ability to listen and understand, and

• Writing and reading abilities.