Laura Thorburn, M.S., CCC-SLP
This article is a guide to conduction aphasia, also called associative aphasia. It will help you learn what aphasia is, the main symptoms of conduction aphasia, and how conduction aphasia is treated. You’ll also learn 10 helpful tips for communicating with a person who has aphasia.
What is aphasia?
First, it’s helpful to understand what aphasia is. Aphasia is a complex neurological condition that affects a person's ability to understand and express language. It often results from brain damage, typically occurring in the left hemisphere, which is responsible for language processing in most right-handed individuals. This damage can be caused by injuries such as stroke, a physical trauma to the brain, or a tumor.
There are several types of aphasia, each with distinct characteristics. Aphasia can be categorized through an evaluation with a speech-language pathologist.
Rather than being a specific condition, aphasia can affect a person’s language function in different ways. People with aphasia may have varying degrees of difficulty with speaking, listening, reading, and writing. The four primary areas of language where people with aphasia may have problems are:
1 Speech repetition
Repeating words, phrases, and sentences that someone else says
2 Naming
Being able to name objects
3 Auditory comprehension
Understanding words, phrases, or sentences that are spoken by another person
4 Fluency
The smoothness, rhythm, and rate with which a person speaks
Every brain is different. While we can make fairly reliable statements about the parts of the brain and the areas they control, there is variation. But one thing is certain, speech therapy will make a big difference in recovery for every type of aphasia, including conduction aphasia.
What is conduction aphasia?
Conduction refers to the area of the brain that helps connect language comprehension (understanding) and language production (speaking). Conduction aphasia can result from damage to the parietal lobe on the left side of the brain. A person who experiences trauma to this area of the brain is generally able to understand what they hear, but they have difficulty producing words and sentences, as well as repeating what is said to them. The assessment profile of a person with conduction aphasia usually closely resembles the following:
Speech repetition: Poor
Naming: Poor
Auditory comprehension: Relatively good
Fluency: Fluent
What does conduction aphasia sound like?
The hallmark feature of conduction aphasia is that of fluent speech, with good understanding of verbally presented information, but an inability to repeat words or to name objects, label pictures, or answer specific questions. The person may also frequently use jargon or incorrect words.
For example, if a person with conduction aphasia is asked to repeat the word “tornado,” they may say, “Tornada, no, tornipee, that’s not it, tornarada… it’s just too hard.”
Because a person with conduction aphasia still has fluent speech and good auditory comprehension, speech therapy will use these strengths to promote recovery in repetition and naming skills.
How is conduction aphasia treated?
Communication is incredibly complex. Speech therapy can help a person with conduction aphasia in two ways:
1 Impairment-based treatment
This treatment aims to improve language function and restore it to its previous level. Examples of treatment approaches include graded naming tasks or automatic speech activities.
2 Communication-based treatment
The goal of this type of treatment is to provide the person with some sort of communication abilities in order to improve their quality of life or reduce their frustration. Examples of treatment approaches for conduction aphasia include conversational coaching, supported conversation, and promoting aphasic’s communication effectiveness (PACE).
It’s important to note that a combination of these treatment types may be used. Conduction aphasia can have varying degrees of severity. One treatment program may be useful for one person, while another program may lead to better outcomes with another.
In addition, a person may begin with one type of treatment and, as they improve, change to another program. Your speech therapist will work with you to decide the specific type that will best support your communication needs.
10 tips for communication partners of people with conduction aphasia
As we’ve explained, aphasia varies in its severity. However, a person’s sense of self can be greatly impacted when they have aphasia. Some people have severe aphasia, but they continue attempting to engage with others. Other people may have mild word-finding problems, but they are much less comfortable socializing than they were before.
We need to recognize that language alone has been impacted, not the person’s intelligence level.
It’s important to support a person with aphasia by maintaining a sense of respect. We need to recognize that language alone has been impacted, not the person’s intelligence level. Here are 10 simple, helpful ways to increase success when communicating with someone who has aphasia.
1. Check in and confirm they understand by asking them “yes” or “no” questions.
2. Encourage the person to communicate. Try to avoid talking for them.
3. Use a normal volume when speaking unless the person asks you to speak more loudly or quietly.
4. Pause and allow the person time to speak. Do not finish their sentences.
5. Limit any background noise to promote a calm and quiet environment.
6. Ensure the person is paying attention to you when you’re talking to them.
7. Do not correct the way they pronounce words. Keep a pleasant facial expression while listening to the person speak.
8. Take advantage of alternate ways to communicate, such as pictures, written words, gestures, and facial expressions.
9. Use a simple form of communication. This doesn’t mean speaking about simple, child-like things, but using the least complex words and sentences when discussing information.
10. Encourage the person to participate in group conversations. Shift the topic to the person with aphasia: “Dave, what do you think about that game?”
Support from family, friends, and a speech therapist can greatly improve a person's ability to navigate daily interactions and regain confidence in their communication abilities. At Expressable, our speech therapists are knowledgeable in all types of treatment programs and will work with you to establish a plan of care that gets you back to communicating to your top potential.
