Speech and language

About one third of stroke survivors have trouble with speech and language.

Communication involves many different parts of the brain, so a stroke can lead to a wide range of problems. Common difficulties include:

• Aphasia (or dysphasia)
  The parts of your brain that contain language may be damaged. This can affect your speaking, listening, reading and writing.
• Dysarthria
  You may have weakness or paralysis of the muscles you use to speak, such as in your lips or tongue. This might make your speech slurred or difficult for others to understand.
• Apraxia or dyspraxia of speech
  Messages from your brain to your mouth are disrupted. This can make it difficult for you to coordinate your mouth movements when speaking.
• Voice problems
  A stroke can make the vocal cords weak or paralysed. This can affect the quality of your voice.
• Cognitive-communication disorder
  Problems with thinking and planning can affect your verbal and non-verbal communication. You may have difficulty interacting with others, paying attention in conversation or communicating appropriately.

Recovering after stroke

Speech and language recovery after stroke is often slow, and it is difficult to know how much someone will recover. Most improvement happens in the first six months, but it can continue for years after a stroke.

A speech pathologist can help with treatment for your specific difficulty. This might mean working with them on your own or in a group. You may use a computer or tablet to work through exercises.

You may also be given new ways to communicate, such as using gestures, or a board, book or computer. Your speech pathologist can also help your family and friends learn to help you communicate.

For more information

See the Stroke Foundation’s fact sheet Communication after stroke.