Aphasia does NOT decrease intelligence

I stumbled across a pretty generic article about aphasia the other day, but I could see how these articles might help. Most people know very little about aphasia, which often affect how stroke survivors can communicate.

I'll tell you my favorite line after this excerpt about there is help for asphasia:

Aphasia occurs when a stroke or other brain injury damage and disconnect areas of the brain responsible for language, which includes not only speech, but also the ability to comprehend, read, write, and even gesture.

Approximately one million people in the United States have aphasia, and more than 200,000 Americans are diagnosed each year.

Bumper sticker image
from the Veterans Administration

Aphasia is sometimes mistaken for intellectual impairment, and so they are often ignored because they may seem not to understand, or "shouted at" as if they have a hearing loss.

It's the very last line. One of the most aggravating part of my stroke recovery was that it seemed - just from my own point of view - that some people assumed that because I had difficulty in speaking, my intelligence was affected.

It was not.

So, I hope that at least one person will read that article and learn that fact!