How Aphasia Radically Affects a Person’s Ability to Communicate

In an informative TED-Ed lesson animated by Josephine Mark, educator Susan Wortman-Jutt explains what happens when someone suffers from aphasia and how isolating it can be when one is unable to turn thoughts into words, what can cause aphasia, the different categories of aphasia that impact different aspects of communication and how aphasia can be improved in certain cases.

However, when aphasia is acquired from a stroke or brain trauma, language improvement may be achieved through speech therapy. Our brain’s ability to repair itself, known as brain plasticity, permits areas surrounding a brain lesion to take over some functions during the recovery process. Scientists have been conducting experiments using new forms of technology, which they believe may encourage brain plasticity in people with aphasia.