Throughout our working day we communicate in a variety of ways. We listen to and impart instructions to understand, explain or reassure, use written communication to send and receive emails, faxes, notes, memos and post-its and verbal communication to relate and receive information. Communication is a key component in developing effective working and team relationships and engaging in social conversation. It is a fundamental part of who we are.
Following a stroke, communication can be affected in many ways:
- Aphasia is a language disorder, which may affect a person’s ability to communicate, leaving other cognitive abilities intact. A person with aphasia may find it hard to talk, find words, form sentences, understand others when they speak, read or write. Difficulty communicating can cause frustration and distress. Aphasia can vary day to day and can appear worse if someone is tired, worried or upset.
- Dysarthria is a disorder of speech due to disturbances in muscular control of the speech mechanism. The content of what the person is saying (language) is not affected. All or any of the complex systems used to produce speech may be affected (respiration, resonance, voice, speech sounds (articulation) and speech rhythm (prosody). A person with dysarthria may sound slurred, mumbled and may be difficult to understand.
- Apraxia of speech affects the organisation and voluntary movement required for speaking. The person may often ‘struggle’ to produce a sound or word but the additional effort may not help. Words or phrases may be produced spontaneously but then cannot be repeated deliberately. This can be frustrating and bewildering.
Those left with communication deficits can often find the workplace “an alien environment” (Banks P & Pearson C 2003).
Rosemary has word finding difficulties and is slower to process written information. Communication is a key skill within teaching, including processing and responding to verbal and written information in a busy, often noisy classroom environment.
Page last reviewed: 08 Apr 2021
