There are at least 350,000 people in UK with Aphasia.

Types of problems

More than 350,000 people in the UK are living with aphasia: a disorder of language and communication. Aphasia is caused by damage to the brain. The most common causes are stroke, severe head injury, brain tumour, or another neurological problem such as dementia.

When you meet someone with aphasia one of the most obvious differences may be problems with their speech. Perhaps they choose the wrong word, or what they’re saying seems confused.

But this could be the tip of the iceberg. A person with aphasia normally has multiple problems with communication. Including a mixture of difficulties with speaking, understanding, reading, writing and using numbers.

Aphasia can range from mild, for example getting a few words mixed up. To being more severe, where the person may have problems with all forms of communication.