ModuleDraft

Aphasia-friendly communication basics (family + care teams)

A practical communication toolkit for supporting someone with aphasia: short phrases, one idea at a time, confirming understanding, and reducing shame/stress.

Recovery & RehabCaregiver, ClinicianIntro15 minStandard (9–12)

Educational only

Educational only — follow speech-language pathologist recommendations for individualized strategies.

Get help now

If new sudden speech trouble starts or suddenly worsens, treat it as an emergency and call local emergency services.

Key takeaways

  • Use aphasia-friendly strategies that improve understanding without talking down
  • Confirm understanding using yes/no and teach-back
  • Reduce communication breakdowns in high-stress situations (appointments, emergencies)

Principles

  • Aphasia is a language problem, not intelligence
  • Slow down and reduce information load
  • Use multimodal communication

What to do

  • Short sentences
  • One question at a time
  • Write key words
  • Use gestures/pictures
  • Allow pauses

How to confirm

  • Yes/no confirmation
  • Repeat-back
  • Offer choices

When it’s urgent

  • Use a scripted emergency phrase
  • Bring a communication card

Practice check

What you’ll practice

These questions are untimed. After you answer all of them, you’ll see your score and a clear next lesson or reference step.

0 of 2 answered

Question 1

1. Aphasia affects language, not intelligence.

Question 2

2. An aphasia-friendly practice is…

References

  1. Tier 4
    ASHA: Aphasia (public-facing overview + communication tips)
  2. Tier 1
    AHA/ASA Stroke Rehabilitation & Recovery Guideline (SLP/communication rehab themes)