What is temporary aphasia? Learn more about it in this post.

Aphasia is a language disorder in which a person may not be able to speak or understand speech.

Sometimes, a person with aphasia will speak but may use the words incorrectly or will have garbled speech that makes no sense.

In this post, I’ll cover what temporary aphasia is in this post, what you should know as a caregiver, and how you can help.

What is temporary aphasia?

Temporary aphasia is also called transient aphasia.

For most people, temporary aphasia will happen after they experience a stroke or when they experience a migraine.

Other health problems that may trigger the condition include:

• A developing brain tumor
• A head injury
• Seizures
• Brain infection
• Or a progressive neurological disorder like Alzheimer’s disease

Each of these causes can impact the areas of the brain that control how we speak and understand words.

The good news, however, is that this is a problem that can be easily overcome with speech therapy and the right support.

Signs of aphasia

The following signs may indicate that your loved one is experiencing transient aphasia.

• Sudden difficulty in getting their words out
• Trouble understanding the words you or someone else is saying to them
• Difficulty reading or writing
• The affected person may speak the wrong words or unintelligible words
• When asked to write, your loved one may write incorrect words or words that don’t make sense

While these are strong indicators that your loved one is experiencing aphasia, doctors may have to conduct an MRI exam to make a definitive diagnosis.

What can you do as a caregiver?

The first time you observe a loved one experience temporary aphasia, it will be bothersome.

Remember that for your loved one, it is bothersome as well.

Temporary aphasia usually does not require treatment. And in most cases, it may happen once and never again.

However, if the condition recurs, your loved one may need extra medical attention to diagnose and treat the underlying cause.

If your loved one has experienced transient aphasia more than once, you and your loved one can create a card that has their name and describes what temporary aphasia is. This card should also have the number and number of an emergency contact who can be reached in case you are not around.