What is aphasia? Swathi Kiran explains the condition forcing Bruce Willis to retire from acting
(3/31/22, The Conversation)
Swathi Kiran, the James and Cecilia Tse Ying Professor in Neurorehabilitation in the Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences at Sargent College and director of the Aphasia Research Laboratory, explains what aphasia is and how it impairs the communication of those with the condition.
Aphasia is a communication disorder that affects someone’s ability to speak or understand speech. It also impacts how they understand written words and their ability to read and to write.
It is important to note that aphasia can take different forms. Some people with aphasia only have difficulty understanding language – a result of damage to the temporal lobe, which governs how sound and language are processed in the brain. Others only have difficulty with speaking – indicating damage to the frontal lobe. A loss of both speaking and comprehension of language would suggest damage to both the large temporal lobe and frontal lobe.