WORD LIST – HELPFUL MEANINGS - APHASIA FRIENDLY

• Word

  • Meaning

• AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication)

  • AAC is a way for people to communicate besides talking. This can include the use of pictures, gestures, writing, or devices.

• Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)

  • An ABI refers to brain damage that has occurred after birth. It can be caused from a stroke, an accident, or illness.

• Agrammatism

  • Agrammatism is difficulty using small words and grammar. This can make sentences sound short or incomplete. Example: “Dog…park…go” instead of ‘The dog is going to the park”.

• Agraphia

  • Agraphia is difficulty with writing. This includes difficulty with spelling, forming letters and organising written language.

• Aphasia

  • Aphasia is a difficulty with language. It happens when the language part of the brain is injured. The language part is in the left side of the brain. Aphasia can affect talking, understanding, reading, or writing.

• Anomia

  • Anomia is difficulty finding the right word when speaking or writing.

• Anomic Aphasia

  • Anomic aphasia is a type of aphasia. Word finding is the main difficulty.

• Anxiety

  • Anxiety is feeling worried, nervous, or uneasy about something. After a stroke, people may feel anxious about talking, moving, or doing daily activities. Anxiety can make it hard to communicate, think clearly, or take part in life. Share your feelings with your family, friends, doctor, and health professionals.

• Apraxia of Speech

  • Apraxia of Speech is when your brain has difficulty planning how to talk. The brain has difficulty sending the right signals to the mouth to make speech. This can make it hard to say the right sounds and words, even though you know what you want to say.

• Auditory Comprehension

  • Auditory comprehension means hearing and understanding words. It is how we make sense of what people say.

• Alexia

  • Alexia is difficulty with reading. Words or letters are hard to understand.

• Articulation

  • Articulation is how you move the lips, tongue, teeth, jaw, and palate to make speech sounds. Clear talking helps people understand you.

• Attention

  • Attention is the ability to focus on one thing, while ignoring other things. Attention also includes the ability to switch your focus between different tasks. Divided attention is the ability to pay attention to two things at the same time. Attention helps with listening, understanding, and talking.

• Brain

  • The brain helps us think, talk, understand, and move. The brain has two sides – a left side and a right side. The language part of the brain is in the left side of the brain. Aphasia happens when a stroke affects this part of the brain.

• Broca’s Aphasia

  • Broca’s aphasia is a type of aphasia. A person with Broca’s aphasia can usually understand what people say. Talking and writing is difficult. Talking may be slow and only a few words. Small words are missing. Example: ‘I am going to the shop’ = ‘Go store’. A person may have difficulty repeating words or sentences.

• Breathing

  • Breathing is moving air in and out of the lungs. Good breathing helps with talking.

• Body Language

  • Body language is using your body to show meaning. Examples: gestures, face, pointing. Body language adds meaning to your words and makes communication clearer.

• Conduction aphasia

  • Conduction aphasia is a type of aphasia. A person with conduction aphasia can usually understand others, read, write, and talk, but words and sounds can get mixed up. Repeating words or sentences is hard.

• Communication

  • Communication is sharing ideas, thoughts, and feelings. We can communicate by talking, writing, using gestures, pictures, or signing.

• Comprehension

  • Comprehension is understanding what you hear and read.

• Conversation

  • Conversation is talking with other people. It includes listening and taking turns.

• Cognition

  • Cognition is our how we think and use our brain. This includes remembering, paying attention, and solving problems. Cognition helps us plan, make decisions, and manage daily life.

• Confidence

  • Confidence is believing in your abilities. Confidence helps with talking, sharing ideas, and trying new things. Building confidence = practicing, celebrating success, asking for help, thinking positive, keep trying.

• Community

  • Community is the people, groups, and places around you. Being part of a community involves joining activities and meeting people. Being involved in your community can help you feel connected, meet people, and practise communicating.

• Connection

  • Connection is the experience of feeling close to and valued by other people. Connection helps you to feel supported, included, and understood. You can build connection through communication and shared activities.

• Cue

  • A cue is a hint or reminder. Cues can be words, gestures, pictures, or strategies. Cues can help support communication. Example: give the first letter or sound of a word.

• Communication Strategies

  • Communication strategies are ways to help make talking and understanding easier. Examples: slowing down, using key words, gestures, or writing.

• Communication Partner Training

  • Communication Partner Training is teaching family, friends or carers how to support a person’s communication. It uses strategies like giving extra time, writing key words, using simple sentences. This helps the person with aphasia communicate more easily and feel understood.

• Circumlocution

  • Circumlocution is talking around a word that is known, but can’t be found. Example: ‘The thing you write with’ and ‘It contains ink’ = pen.

• Discourse

  • Discourse is how we tell stories, explain ideas, and have conversations. Discourse helps us share information, express thoughts and feelings, and connect with others.

• Dialogue

  • A back-and-forth conversation between two or more people.

• Depression

  • Depression is a low mood or sadness that can happen after stroke. It usually happens most days and for more than 2 weeks. Depression can affect your recovery, energy, and motivation. Share your feelings with your family, friends, doctor, and health professionals.

• Disability Inclusion

  • Disability inclusion is making sure places, activities, and communities are accessible and welcoming for everyone. Inclusion helps people join in and feel valued as part of the community.

• Dysarthria

  • Dysarthria is a speech difficulty caused by weak muscles used for talking. Speech may sound slurred, slow, or quiet, making it hard for others to understand.

• Dysphagia

  • Dysphagia is a difficulty swallowing. Dysphagia can sometimes happen after a stroke. You may cough, choke, or feel food sticking in your throat. Dysphagia can make it hard to eat or drink safely.

• Everyday Communication

  • Everyday communication refers to daily activities such as ordering coffee or food, texting, or talking with family.

• Environmental Supports

  • Environmental supports refers to changes in the environment that make communication easier. Example: a quiet space, written or visual cues, reduce distractions, simplifying language.

• Fluency

  • Fluency is how smooth and continuous speech sounds.

• Fluent aphasia

  • Fluent aphasia is also called Wernicke’s aphasia. A person with fluent aphasia can talk in full sentences. The words can get mixed up or not make sense. Understanding what people say is harder than talking.

• Functional Communication

  • Functional communication helps a person take part in everyday life, such as talking with family, ordering food, asking for help, or joining in social activities.

• Fatigue

  • Fatigue means feeling very tired. Being very tired can make it harder to talk, think, understand, or join in activities.

• Global aphasia

  • Global aphasia is a type of aphasia. It is when a person has difficulty with all the areas of language. This can include talking, understanding, reading and writing.

• Grammar

  • Grammar is the rules we use to put words together in a sentence. It includes things like word order, tense (past, present, future), and small words like ‘is’, ‘the’, ‘and’.

• Group Therapy

  • Group therapy is therapy with other people. It helps people practice talking and understanding. It also helps people connect with others and take part in conversations.

• Goals and Goal Setting

  • A goal is something a person wants to get better at. Goals can be about communication – talking, understanding, reading, or writing. Goals can also be about everyday life – like cooking, shopping or joining activities. Goals can be about return to work or other personal activities. Goals help focus therapy on what is important to you. Goals help to see and track progress.

• Gesture

  • Gesture is using body or hands to help communicate. Gestures can help when it is hard to talk. Example: pointing, waving, using your hands to show an action.

• Generalisation

  • Generalisation is when the skills you practise in therapy can then be used in real life. Example: using words you practice in therapy when talking with family. Example: using strategies you learn in therapy when ordering food.

• Hemianopia

  • Hemianopia is losing half the visual field in one or both eyes, after stroke. Right hemianopia – you cannot see the right side of things. Words on the right side of a page may disappear. Left hemianopia – you cannot see the left side of things. Words on the left side of a page may disappear.

• Hemiparesis

  • Hemiparesis is when one side of your body is weak, after stroke. This could be your arm, your leg or both.

• Hemiplegia

  • Hemiplegia is when one side of your body cannot move or is paralysed. This could be your arm, your leg, or both.

• Inclusion

  • Inclusion is being welcomed and supported in conversations and community. It means everyone can take part and feel included.

• Intonation

  • Intonation is the rise and fall of your voice when you speak. It helps show meaning and feelings. Example – your voice can sound happy, sad, or surprised. Example – your voice goes up when asking a yes/no question.

• Impairment

  • Impairment is when a brain injury like a stroke changes how a person can use language. This can affect talking, understanding, reading or writing.

• Identity

  • Identity is how a person sees themselves – who they are. It includes roles, abilities, interests, personality. Aphasia can make it hard to talk, understand, read or write. This can affect joining activities, feelings, and confidence. This may affect a person’s identity.

• Jargon

  • Jargon is words that are unclear or made-up. Some people with aphasia may use jargon when talking. This is common in Wernicke’s aphasia. These words can be hard for others to understand.

• Key Words

  • Key words are the most important words in a message. They help to get the main idea across. Key words are used in supported conversation to make talking easier.

• Language

  • Language is how we communicate with words, signs, or symbols. It helps us talk, understand, read, and write. Language is used to share ideas, feelings, and information.

• Life Participation Approach

  • The LPAA approach is about living well with aphasia. It is about helping people participate in life in meaningful ways.

• Multimodal Communication

  • Multimodal communication is using more than one way to communicate. This can include talking plus gesture, writing, drawing, pictures, or technology.

• Mindfulness

  • Mindfulness means paying attention to the present moment. It helps people feel calm, focused, and manage stress.

• Neuroplasticity and Aphasia Recovery

  • Neuroplasticity means the brain can change and learn after a stroke. Other parts of the brain can help with language. Therapy and practicing in real life helps the brain make new connections. This help you re-learn communication.

• Naming

  • Naming is being able to say the right word for something. Example: saying ‘cup’ when you see a cup.

• Non-fluent aphasia

  • Non-fluent aphasia is also called Broca’s aphasia. It is also called expressive aphasia.

• Non-Verbal Communication

  • Non-verbal communication is communicating without talking. It can include gesture, facial expression, drawing or pictures.

• Narrative

  • A narrative is telling a story or sharing a personal experience. People with aphasia, may find it hard to find words or make sentences. You can use gestures, pictures, or writing to help tell your story.

• Outcome Measures

  • Outcome measures are tools used to see how therapy is helping. They show progress in communication and everyday life.

• Occupational Therapy (OT)

  • An OT is a health professional who helps people after stroke. They help with daily activities and joining in life, so you can be more independent. An OT also looks at your environment and recommend equipment or changes to make tasks easier.

• Paraphasia

  • A paraphasia is when a person says the wrong word, mixes up sounds or makes up a word. Example: Saying ‘dog’ instead of ‘cat’, or ‘bapple’ instead of ‘apple’ or ‘flimble’ instead of ‘chair’.

• Participation

  • Participation is being involved in life activities. Participation helps people with aphasia stay connected and included.

• Perseveration

  • Perseveration is getting stuck on a word, phrase, or sound and saying it over and over. Example: Saying ‘cup, cup, cup’ instead of ‘water’.

• Processing Time

  • Processing time is the time a person needs to understand or respond. Giving extra processing time helps people with aphasia communicate more easily.

• Quality of Life

  • Quality of life is about wellbeing, independence, connection, and satisfaction in daily life.

• Questions (Supported)

  • Supported questions is about asking questions in a way that is easier for a person to answer. For people with aphasia, this can include yes/no questions and offering choices. Example: ‘tea or coffee’

• Receptive Aphasia

  • Receptive aphasia is also called Wernicke’s aphasia or fluent aphasia. See Wernicke’s aphasia.

• Reading Comprehension

  • Reading comprehension is understanding written text.

• Rehabilitation

  • Therapy and support after stroke or brain injury.

• Stroke

  • A stroke happens when blood cannot reach part of the brain. This can damage the brain.

    Stroke is a common cause of aphasia.

• Supported Conversation

  • Supported conversation uses strategies to help a person with aphasia communicate. It helps people with aphasia to understand what is being said and say what they want to say.

• Speech

  • Speech is how we say or make sounds and words. Air from the lungs pushes air through the voice box. The voice box turns the air into sound.

    The mouth, tongue, and lips shape the sound into speech sounds and words.

• Speech Pathology

  • Speech Pathology is the health profession that helps people with communication and swallowing. Speech Pathologists work with people with aphasia after stroke.

• Self-Advocacy

  • Self-advocacy is speaking up for yourself. It means telling others your needs, choices, and rights.

• Social Connection

  • Social connection is spending time with others. It can include sharing experiences, talking, and joining activities. Social connection helps people with aphasia feel included and supported.

• Technology Supports

  • Technology supports are tools like apps, tablets, or speech devices that help with communication.

• Understanding

  • Understanding is another word for comprehension. It means making sense of what someone says, reads, or shows.

• Verbal Communication

  • Verbal communication is talking to others using words.

• Wernicke’s aphasia

  • Wernicke’s aphasia is a type of aphasia. Talking sounds fluent, but the words and sentences may not make sense. It can be hard to understand what others say. It can be hard to repeat words and sentences.

• Word-Finding difficulty

  • Word finding difficulty is when a person has trouble finding the word they want to say. It is also called anomia.

• Writing

  • Writing is the ability to spell and express ideas in written form.

• Wellbeing

  • Wellbeing refers to emotional health.

• X-Rays / Imaging

  • X-rays are medical scans used in hospital settings. This is not directly related to aphasia, but often part of stroke care.

• Yes/No Questions

  • Yes/No questions are often used to support communication, though not always reliable for every person.

• Zoom / Video Calls

  • Zoom or video calls are online communication tools that may support social connection and therapy.