What recovery usually looks like
After a stroke or brain injury, the brain goes through big changes as it heals. Many people see their language improve a lot in the first few months. This is sometimes called spontaneous recovery.
For many people, some aphasia remains after that early period. This is called chronic aphasia. It does not mean progress stops: studies show language and communication can keep improving for years, especially with therapy. Most people make real progress, but few get back every skill they had before.
How much someone improves depends on several things:
- What caused the brain injury
- Where the damage is and how large it is
- The person's age and general health
- Access to speech-language therapy
Treatment: speech-language therapy
The main treatment for aphasia is therapy with a speech-language pathologist. It usually aims to:
- Restore as much language as possible
- Help the person make the most of the language skills they still have
- Teach other ways to communicate, such as gestures, pictures, writing, communication books and apps
Therapy can happen one-on-one, in groups, in person or by video. Some studies suggest it works best when it starts soon after the injury, but it can help at any stage. Many programs also train family members as communication partners, because the people around someone with aphasia make a big difference.
Doctors also treat the cause of the aphasia, such as the stroke, the tumor or the infection, and work to prevent another stroke.
Other treatments under study
Researchers are studying ways to help therapy work better, such as brain stimulation and certain medicines. These are not standard treatment yet. If you are interested, ask a doctor or a speech-language pathologist about clinical trials.
Primary progressive aphasia
Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is caused by a disease that slowly damages the brain, so it gets worse over time instead of better. There is no cure and no medicine for it yet. Speech-language therapy cannot stop it, but it can help people manage, use the skills they have for longer and set up other ways to communicate before they are needed. Learn more on types of aphasia.
How families can help
- Go to therapy sessions when you can, and ask what to practice at home.
- Speak to the person directly, slow down and give them time to answer.
- Ask yes-or-no questions and check that you understood.
- Keep the person in conversations and decisions. Aphasia affects language, not intelligence.
More ideas: how to communicate with someone who has aphasia.
Common questions
Can aphasia be cured?
There is no medicine or operation that cures aphasia. Many people improve a great deal, especially with speech-language therapy, and some recover fully. Others keep some aphasia for life but learn new ways to communicate.
Can aphasia go away on its own?
Sometimes. After a stroke or injury, the brain often heals a lot in the first few months, and language can improve even without treatment. Aphasia after a TIA often clears within hours or days. When aphasia lasts, therapy helps.
How long does it take to recover from aphasia?
It varies. The biggest changes often come in the first few months, but research shows language can keep improving for many years. The cause, the size and place of the brain damage, a person's age and health, and access to therapy all play a part.
Is it ever too late for speech therapy?
Research shows people can keep improving years after a stroke, so it is rarely too late to try. A speech-language pathologist can set goals that fit where the person is today.
Does primary progressive aphasia get better?
No. Primary progressive aphasia slowly gets worse over time, and there is no cure or medicine for it yet. Speech-language therapy can help people use the skills they have, plan ahead and keep communicating for longer.
How ExpressAgain can help
Recovery takes time, and people need to be understood while it happens. ExpressAgain lets a person read and choose what they want to say and says it out loud. Its Practice space offers repeat-after-me phrases with no grading, and a speech therapist on the care team can assign exercises there. It is a communication aid, not a treatment, and it works alongside therapy, not in place of it.
Keep reading
More about aphasia
- Understanding aphasia: the overview
- Types of aphasia: Broca's, Wernicke's and global aphasia, plus anomic, conduction, transcortical and primary progressive aphasia.
- Aphasia causes: Stroke, head injury, tumors, infections and progressive conditions, and why sudden changes are an emergency.
- What is aphasia?: The meaning of aphasia, its medical definition, and what the inability to speak is called.
- ExpressAgain for aphasia: how the app's aphasia mode works
- ExpressAgain after a stroke: communication through recovery
Sources
- NIDCD (National Institutes of Health): Aphasia
- Mayo Clinic: Aphasia, diagnosis and treatment
- Mayo Clinic: Primary progressive aphasia
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA): Aphasia, Practice Portal
- National Aphasia Association: Acquired Aphasia from Stroke/Brain Injury
- American Stroke Association: Aphasia and Stroke
Last reviewed . This page is general information written in plain language from the sources above. It is not medical advice and cannot diagnose anyone. Talk with a doctor or a speech-language pathologist about your own situation. If speaking or understanding suddenly becomes hard, call 911.