October 16th, 2005

Pamphlet

Broca’s Aphasia
The Basics

What is Broca’s Aphasia?

Broca’a aphasia is a language disorder that causes difficulty with expressive language while maintaining the ability to read and understand speech. (National Aphasia Association [NAA], 1999)

Characteristics

- Effortful speech

- Telegraphic phrases

- Presence of apraxia

- Naming problems

- Slow speech

- Poor intonation

- Poor writing

- Good auditory comprehension

(Shipley and McAfee, 2004)

Causes

Broca’s aphasia occurs when damage is done to the area of the brain known as Broca’s area.  Broca’s area is located in the left hemisphere on the inferior section of the frontal gyrus (see illustration).  Damage to Broca’s Area is most commonly due to a stroke, but can also be caused by head trauma, brain tumors, or infections. (NAA, 1999)

(Note: A picture of the brain will appear here with Broca's area highlighted.  It would not show up on here.)

            Broca’s Area -------------------è

 

Treatment

There is no cure for Broca’s aphasia.  Surgery can be effective if the damage is caused by a tumor.  When damage is caused by a stroke there is some spontaneous recovery during the time immediately following the stroke.  Speech therapy is the most common treatment for Broca’s aphasia.  Speech therapy helps the client to make the most of the remaining skills and learn to compensate when needed (NAA, 1999).

For More Information

National Aphasia Association- http://www.aphasia.org/

American Speech Language Hearing Association- http://www.asha.org/
Posted by KimLucas at 04:48 AM | 2 comments

October 7th, 2005

Journal

September 4, 2005

I woke up this morning and the sun was shining through my window. I used to love to wake up on mornings like this because I would go jogging in the park, but now it makes me want to just lay in bed. If it wasn’t for Mary I probably would have done just that today. But like always she had me up and moving by 7. I didn’t have to be at speech therapy until 11am but it takes longer for us to get everything together since my stroke. I enjoy speech therapy because the speech therapist seems to really understand how I’m feeling, she is very supportive and tries to help in anyway she can. Today she even worked with Mary. She was giving her tips on how to make communicating with me easier. During therapy I tried so hard. I got really frustrated with myself because I knew I was not saying things correctly. They were right in my head, but when I tried to say them they just would not come out the way I wanted. By the time I got home I was so exhausted I had to take nap.

November 24, 2005

Today was Thanksgiving so the kids and their families came over for dinner. I was really glad to see everyone. It was hard to feel included in the conversations though. They often would ask Mary questions that should have been directed to me. I still understand what is going on, it is just hard for me to get my thoughts out. I wish they would be more patient with me. At one point Suzy said “Why’s grandpa talk so funny?” I tried to pretend this didn’t bother me, but I could feel the tears forming in my eyes. I sat down to watch football with Mike after dinner. It had been our tradition since he was little. This year it was a little awkward because for the majority of the time we sat in silence. I couldn’t even cheer when my favorite team scored a touchdown. The game ended a little while ago and everyone went home. I was sad to see them leave, but I am exhausted.
Posted by KimLucas at 05:31 AM | 2 comments

October 5th, 2005

Poem

I am a man with a drooping right side

 

I wonder if I will ever be able to tell my family how much I love them

 

I hear the words coming out of my mouth

 

I see the words coming out of my mouth

 

I want to communicate

 

I am a man with a drooping right side

 

I pretend the stroke has not changed my life

 

I feel the grief I cause my family

 

I touch their hearts in every way I can to show my appreciation

 

I worry that my wife will not love me the way she used to

 

I cry at the thought of living without her

 

I am a man with a drooping right side

 

I understand that my life will never be the same

 

I say to myself ”Everything will be ok, just keep trying”

 

I dream that one day I will open my mouth and the words will flow easily

 

I try as hard as I can in speech therapy

 

I hope it will help

 

I am a man with a drooping right side

 
Posted by KimLucas at 04:00 AM | 2 comments

October 4th, 2005

Project Prospectus

 
Project Prospectus

 Research Question
In what ways can the family members of individuals with Broca’s aphasia provide positive supports that enhance the treatment and recovery process?

Foundation Questions
*  What is Broca’s Aphasia?
*  What types of treatment are typically required?

Tentative Point
Once this assignment is completed, I hope to provide information to families about how they can help their loved one recover from Broca’s aphasia.

Genre
1.  Webliography-  This will be used to provide information about myself to the people who view this website.  It will also provide them with websites where I found useful information.
2. Poem-  This will be in the voice of a client with Broca's aphasia.  He will be describing to his family how he is feeling.
3.  Power Point-  This will be in the voice of a speech-language pathologist.  It will be used to provide information to families about the importance of supportive relationships during recovery.  It will also tell them how they can provide support and assist in the recovery of their loved one who has Broca’s aphasia.
4.  Journal-  This will be in the voice of a client with Broca's aphasia.  It will be used to provide information to the public about how the person is feeling.  It will discuss how he feels about therapy and the obstacles that face him everyday.  I chose this genre to provide insight on how the client feels.  I think this would help many families understand what their loved one is going through.
5.  Pamphlet-  This will be in the voice of a speech-language pathologist.  It will be used to provide information about Broca's aphasia to the public.  I chose this so that I could provide the basics about Broca's aphasia to people who just being introduced to the disorder.
6.  Interview Transcript-  This will be in the voice of the speech-language pathologist and the wife of someone with Broca’s aphasia.  It will be used to inform the wife about what she can do to help out with his recovery.  I chose this because it will allow me to provide some techniques that help with recovery.
7.  Email-  This will be in the voice of the wife of a man with Broca's aphasia.  She will be providing information that has helped her to someone she met who is also the wife of someone with Broca's aphasia.  I chose this because I thought it would be a good way to pull all the information together.
 
Integration of Genres
I plan to use the email genre to pull everything together.  This will be composed of emails between two women who both have husbands with Broca's aphasia.  They will be providing support to each other by sharing information that they have found useful.  In the emails there will be links that will direct you to each genre.
 
Tentative Resources
Ballard, K.J., &Thompson, C.K. (1999). Treatment and generalization of complex sentence production in agrammatism. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 42, 690-707.  Retrieved September 30, 2005, from ERIC database (EJ589550).

Bose, A., Square, P.A., Schlosser, R., & Van Lieshout, P. (2001).  Effects of prompt therapy on speech motor function in a person with aphasia and apraxia of speech.  Aphasiology, 15, 767-785.  Retrieved October 3, 2005, from Academic Search Premier database (5416096).

Conley, A., & Coelho, C.A. (2003). Treatment of word retrieval impairment in chronic Broca’s aphasia.  Aphasiology, 17, 203-211.  Retrieved September 26, 2005, from PsycINFO database (9472865).

Drew, R.L., Ruby, L., & Thompson, C.K. (1999).  Model-based semantic treatment for naming deficits in aphasia.  Journal of Speech, Language  & Hearing Research, 42, 972-990.  Retrieved October 3, 2005, from Medline database (2130756).

Fodor, J.D. (1999).  How can I communicate with a relative who’s had a stroke? Washington, DC: Linguistic Society of America [Brochure]. Retrieved September 26, 2005, from ERIC database (ED426606).

Hickey, E., Bourgeois, M., & Olswang, L. (2004). Effects of training volunteers to converse with nursing home residents with aphasia. Aphasiology, 18, 625-637.  Retrieved September 29, 2005, from PsycINFO database (12968970).

Hickok, G., Bellugi, U., & Klima, E.  (2002). Sign language in the brain.  Scientific American, 12, 46-53.  Retrieved October 3, 2005, from Academic Search Premier database (10684233).

Katz, W.F., Bharadwaj, S.V., Carstens, & Burkhard. (1999). Electromagnetic articulography treatment for an adult with Broca’s aphasia and apraxia of speech. Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research, 42, 1355-1367.  Retrieved September 29, 2005, from PsycINFO database (1999-15413-007). 

Luterman, D.M. (1996).  Counseling persons with communication disorders and their families (3rd ed.). Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.

Murray, L., Ballard, K., & Karcher, L. (2004). Linguistic specific treatment: Just for Broca’s aphasia?  Aphasiology, 18, 785-809.  Retrieved October 3, 2005, from Academic Search Premier database (14132588).

National Aphasia Association (1999, June 22).  Aphasia: The facts.  Retrieved October 16, 2005, from http://www.aphasia.org/facts.php
Shipley, K.G., & McAfee, J.G. (2004).  Assessment of neurologically based communicative disorders.  K. Conerly, J. Byington, & D. Buddle (Eds.), Assessment in speech-language pathology: A resource manual (3rd ed., pp. 336-396).  Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Learning.

Wambaugh, J.L., West, J.E., & Doyle, P.J. (1998).  Treatment for apraxia of speech: Effects of targeting sound groups.  Aphasiology, 12, 731-744.  Retrieved October 3, 2005, from Academic Search Premier database (6832563).
Posted by KimLucas at 04:21 AM | Add a Comment
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