Receptive aphasia is a type of fluent aphasia caused by brain damage, resulting in difficulty understanding language. Different types of receptive aphasia are caused by damage to specific areas of the brain. Treatment varies depending on the cause and severity of the loss, and patients may never fully recover. Friends and family are advised to speak slowly and use simple sentences.
Aphasia encompasses a range of speech disorders caused by damage to the brain. This damage results in losses in the ability to speak or understand language. Receptive aphasia, also known as sensory aphasia, is classified as fluent aphasia, because the patient is able to speak clearly but has difficulty processing speech. Patients with this condition have difficulty understanding written or verbal language. Different types of receptive aphasia have been observed, all resulting from damage to particular areas of the brain.
Aphasia is caused by damage to the brain that can result from traumatic injury, stroke, cancer, or infection. These can also be symptoms of other disorders, such as epilepsy or Alzheimer’s disease. Receptive aphasia ranges in severity from mild impairment to severe inability to communicate. Many times, patients are co-diagnosed with both receptive and expressive aphasia.
Aphasias are distinguished by symptoms and indicate the neural structures that have been damaged. Wernicke’s aphasia is caused by damage to Wernicke’s area of the brain, which is located in the upper left part near the back of the temporal lobe. Transcortical sensory aphasia (TSA) is thought to be caused by a disconnect between hearing and processing pathways in the brain. This disorder is differentiated from Wernicke’s aphasia because patients with TSA have difficulty understanding but can easily repeat spoken words and sentences.
Patients with conduction aphasia can repeat speech but often transpose sounds or syllables. This disorder is thought to be the result of damage to the arcuate fasciculus of the brain. Unlike Wernicke’s aphasia or TSA, conduction aphasia is often relatively mild, and patients can usually respond quickly and accurately to questions or instructions. This condition manifests as both receptive and expressive forms of aphasia.
For patients with receptive aphasia, the communication process is similar to how people work through a learned foreign language. They may need more time to decipher the meaning of the words. The problem may be exacerbated when conversing with fast-talking people. After the communication has been processed, patients may interpret figurative statements as literal.
Unlike patients with expressive aphasia, patients with receptive aphasia are able to express themselves in clear and meaningful sentences. Patients who have suffered a stroke or other brain injury are often evaluated for potential aphasia soon after the accident. Receptive aphasia is diagnosed by assessing responses to simple questions or by observing how well patients can follow instructions.
The symptoms of receptive aphasia may lessen or disappear as the brain lesion heals. Treatment for receptive aphasia varies depending on the cause of the damage and the severity of the loss. In some cases, surgery may be needed to remove tumors or legions. Patients with irreparable brain damage could be treated by speech therapists, and computers could be used to facilitate communication and help regain speech function. Most patients make progress in regaining speech comprehension, but many patients never fully recover from deficiencies in receptive aphasia.
Patients may feel frustrated when trying to decipher written and oral communication. Friends, family and caregivers are advised to speak slowly and use simple sentences. Significant others should be compassionate when they have to repeat themselves to a friend or family member who has receptive aphasia.
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