Suffering from a stroke can be a scary and challenging experience, causing brain damage that may lead to communication difficulties with language, speech, voice, cognition and even swallowing.

Some common communication difficulties include:

APHASIA

Aphasia is the loss of language caused by a stroke. Finding the right word, putting words together or understanding what is being said can be. They may also have difficulty with reading and writing.

At Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center (CHSC), stroke survivors with aphasia can work individually in speech therapy sessions or with a group to help reach their communication goals.

DYSARTHRIA

Stroke survivors with speech disorders like “dysarthria” usually have slurred, unclear sounding speech. Oftentimes dysarthria is described as muscle weakness.

APRAXIA

Stroke survivors with apraxia may have difficulty coordinating their muscles for speech, whether or not the muscles themselves feel weaker.

With the help of a speech-language pathologist, a stroke survivor can reach their communication goals.

In many cases, skills that were lost as a result of having a stroke can be regained through tailored strategies known as compensatory techniques, however, these methods may be more effective for some compared to others. A speech-language pathologist can help develop a plan to meet a stroke survivor’s specific needs.

Cleveland Hearing & Speech (CHSC) offers Northeast Ohio Adults Communicating Together (NEO-ACT), a one-of-a-kind program developed by CHSC for adults with communication disorders related to conditions like strokes.