Understanding the Effects of Stroke

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A stroke can impact a person’s ability to speak and understand language. It may make it difficult to find the right words when speaking or writing and also can affect comprehension of what one reads or hears. Cognition, voice, and swallowing difficulties also can occur from a stroke depending on where the stroke(s) occurs in the brain.

Many of these challenges improve over time, especially with therapy. Understanding how a stroke affects swallowing, cognition, voice, speech, and language can help individuals know what to expect during recovery. This knowledge also enables loved ones to better support survivors on their journey to recovery.

How Can a Stroke Affect Communication and Language Processing?

The effects of a stroke depend on what part of the brain and how much of the brain the stroke affected. A stroke affecting the left side of the brain can have a significant impact on communication.

Common problems related to talking and language after a stroke include:

• Aphasia, which is trouble using or understanding language, which can affect speaking, reading, writing, and listening.
• Apraxia of speech, which means difficulty coordinating the muscle movements needed for speech, caused by disrupted signals between the brain and speech muscles.

These challenges are not a reflection of intelligence. However, they can be deeply frustrating and isolating for individuals recovering from a stroke. Support, patience, and therapy play a vital role in helping individuals reconnect with language and communication.

What is Aphasia?

Aphasia occurs when areas of the brain responsible for language are damaged. It can make speaking, understanding, reading, and/or writing difficult.

What Aphasia Can Look Like

• People with mild aphasia may occasionally struggle to find the right word or may find it mentally exhausting to read long texts like novels.
• People with severe aphasia may speak in short or nonsensical sentences or have difficulty following simple instructions.

What Can Help Post-Stroke Aphasia?

Recovery from aphasia varies. Some people see improvement within days, while others may take weeks, months, or longer. In some cases, a degree of aphasia may be chronic.

Supportive communication helps one recover. Early on, this might include:

• Pointing to objects while saying their names.
• Encouraging the person to repeat words.
• Facilitating a good communication environment (e.g., reduce distractions, communicate face to face).
• Use strategies to support communication (short, clear sentences; find another word; talk around it).

Speech-language therapy, both in person and online, can greatly support recovery:

• For severe aphasia, therapy may involve matching words to pictures or simple word-recall tasks.
• For mild aphasia, sessions may focus on practicing everyday conversation and rebuilding fluency.
• Individualized therapy plans are developed to improve overall functional communication.

What Is Apraxia of Speech?

Apraxia of speech is a motor speech disorder that occurs when the brain has difficulty sending the correct signals to the muscles used for speaking. These muscles include those involved in breathing, as well as those in the voice box (larynx), jaw, lips, and tongue.

This is not a muscle weakness problem, but rather a coordination issue between the brain and speech muscles. When these pathways are damaged, such as after a stroke, it can lead to speech that is inconsistent or difficult to understand.

Signs of Apraxia of Speech

People with apraxia of speech may:

• Make the wrong sounds in speech, such as substituting a ‘k’ sound for a ‘ch’ sound.
• Saying a word correctly sometimes but incorrectly at other times.
• Leave out beginning or ending sounds in words.
• Putting stress on the wrong syllable, making words sound unusual or incorrect.
• Increased effort to produce sounds and productions are inconsistent. This is called articulatory groping.

What Helps Post-Stroke Apraxia?

The brain can improve over time. New neural pathways can form with repeated practice and feedback.

Speech-language therapy plays a vital role in recovery. Therapists help individuals practice specific word sounds repeatedly, using structured exercises and immediate feedback. This consistent practice helps re-establish the brain’s connection to the muscles involved in speech.

With time, patience, therapy, and engaging in functional communication interactions, many people see significant improvement in their ability to speak clearly.

What Are Other Effects of a Stroke?

A stroke can affect multiple systems in the body depending on its location and severity.

Physical Abilities

• Movement and Grip Strength: Weakness or paralysis can affect gestures and writing.
• Walking: Mobility challenges may reduce opportunities for social interaction.

Cognition

• Memory: Forgetting recent conversations or instructions can hinder communication.
• Attention and Reasoning: Difficulty focusing or processing information affects both expressive and receptive language.

Emotions

• Anxiety and Depression: Emotional changes may reduce motivation to communicate or participate in therapy.
• Mood swings: Can affect interpersonal relations and communication tone.

Vision

• Depth Perception and Field of View: Visual impairments may make reading, writing, or interpreting facial expressions more difficult.

Voice

• Vocal Quality and Volume: Changes invoice can make speech harder to understand or less expressive.

Swallowing

• Chewing and Choking: These issues can overlap with speech production, especially when coordinating breath and voice.

These symptoms can influence communication. For instance:

• Muscle paralysis may make it harder to form speech sounds.
• Memory loss may cause a person to forget what was just said.

The effects of a stroke can vary from one person to the next. Recover journeys vary widely.

Why is a Stroke Rehab Program So Important?

A stroke rehabilitation program is essential for helping people with stroke regain independence and function. These programs address not just physical challenges, but also emotional, cognitive, and communication needs. They may include:

• Personalized goals based on the individual’s needs and abilities.
• A multidisciplinary team including speech therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and psychologists.
• Step-by-step progress, starting with basic tasks and advancing toward more complex ones.
• Family involvement in planning and supporting daily exercises.

How Loved Ones Can Help

If your loved one has had a stroke, you can help.

• Talk with them regularly to encourage communication.
• Play games, do puzzles, or read together.
• Offer emotional encouragement and patience.
• Assist with rehab exercises as guided by the therapy team.

Research shows that challenging the brain through regular, guided activity gives people the best chance of recovering lost abilities. With the right type and pace of therapy, the brain can relearn skills and form new pathways.

Stroke recovery takes time, but with structured rehab and strong support, progress is possible — and often life-changing.