How to Diagnose Broca's Aphasia
Also known as motor aphasia, Broca's aphasia occurs when a patient suffers damage to the frontal lobe of the brain that controls language skills. As a result, people afflicted with Broca's aphasia have extreme difficulty completing written or spoken sentences. Read on to learn how to diagnose Broca's aphasia.
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Instructions
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Understand that Broca's aphasia is caused by serious brain trauma. Following an injury and once a patient regains consciousness, an initial assessment of damage to the patient's language faculties is made by the supervising physician.
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Know that a neurologist will initially attempt to diagnose Broca's aphasia by engaging the patient in simple conversation. The neurologist will ask the patient to name objects, converse and follow simple commands. Since Broca's aphasia affects verbal and written language skills, the neurologist will generally refer the patient to a speech pathologist if she suspects Broca's aphasia. Broca's aphasia is characterized by a patient's ability to use nouns and verbs, but extreme difficulty with adverbs, prepositions, pronouns, conjunctions and sentences.
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Have the patient visit a speech pathologist. The pathologist will use a series of in-depth examinations to determine the extent of the Broca's aphasia and brain damage. Standardized tests that are often used to diagnose aphasia include the Western Aphasia Battery, the Porch Index of Speech Ability and the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination.
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Get an analysis of the Broca's aphasia test results. These tests help the speech pathologist isolate the exact areas of the brain that suffered damage and help him prepare a treatment and recovery program. A speech therapy program can help an affected individual recover her language capabilities, but the extent of the recovery depends upon the severity of the brain damage and the location of the brain injury.
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Keep in mind that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed topography (CT) scans may also be used to help doctors understand the location and extent of the brain damage. The prognosis for people who suffer from Broca's aphasia varies considerably and depends entirely upon the specific circumstances of each case.
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Learn more about the condition and how you can help fight it on the National Aphasia Association website. See the Resources section below for a link.
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Tips & Warnings
Depression often accompanies the onset of Broca's aphasia, due to the frustration and self-consciousness patients experience because of their language difficulties. Enrollment in a support or therapy group is strongly encouraged.
