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Aphasia Resources: Online and in the Local Community

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Aphasia is an acquired communication disorder resulting from an injury to the brain, most often a stroke. It can impact a person’s ability to express themselves, understand others, and/or read and write. I’ve blogged previously about speech therapy for aphasia and virtual conversation groups. I also maintain a list of aphasia-related websites on my Resources page. Today I’d like to share aphasia resources that are available online or in your local community. Please feel free to comment below with any other great resources our community should be aware of!

Aphasia Organizations

There are a number of national and local organizations dedicated to supporting the aphasia community and educating people about aphasia. They include:

  • The National Aphasia Association: The mission of the NAA “is to promote public awareness and understanding of aphasia, to promote research that aims to improve the lives of people with aphasia, and to provide support to all persons with aphasia and their caregivers.” The NAA is a nonprofit organization, and offers online programs and events, a searchable affiliate directory, and resources for education, support, and advocacy.
  • Aphasia Access: Aphasia Access is an organization that is “Transforming services and environments so people with aphasia can participate more fully in life.” They are champions of the Life Participation Approach to Aphasia (LPPA) which is a person-centered approach to supporting people with aphasia.
  • Aphasia Recovery Connection: ARC’s mission is “to make a difference in the lives of people with aphasia and their carepartners by learning, sharing, and connecting together.” They offer a variety of programs (even including cruises!) and have an active Facebook group.
  • Aphasia Institute: Their mission is to “Give hope to people with aphasia and their families by developing and sharing innovative solutions that reduce language barriers to full life participation.” They’ve developed Supported Conversation for Adults with Aphasia and the ParticiPics database of aphasia-friendly images. Join their Community Hub to take full advantage of these resources and more.
  • Just A.S.K: The mission of Just A.S.K. (Aphasia Stroke Knowledge) is “to provide individuals, caregivers and stakeholders a way to connect, locate and share resources specifically but not exclusively related to aphasia.” They are based out of Rhode Island but offer many resources and programs open to anyone. For instance, they offer an annual aphasia conference; recordings from the past few years are available on their website.
  • Aphasia Resource Collaboration Hub (ARCH): As stated on their website, ARCH “is committed to establishing a network of clinicians, researchers, university clinic faculty, support group leaders, and persons with aphasia in our region.” They hope to increase access to aphasia resources in the Philadelphia area and beyond.

Maine Aphasia Resources

For those of you living in Maine, here are some local resources to explore:

  • Aphasia Center of Maine: A nonprofit organization offering a weekly Zoom chat, retreats, adaptive outdoor recreation programming, and more!
  • Brain Injury Association of Maine: The Maine branch of the Brain Injury Association of America has a downloadable resource directory. They also host an annual conference and resource fair. Their website lists the in-person and virtual brain injury support groups offered throughout Maine.
  • Lotus Speech & Wellness: I would be remiss not to mention my speech language pathology practice here! As a telepractice, my services are available to adults with aphasia throughout the state of Maine. Aphasia therapy is one of my specialties; my practice is an affiliate of the National Aphasia Association, and I serve as the Virtual Coordinator for the NAA. Regardless of how long you or your loved one has had aphasia, I’m happy to be a resource to help support your communication goals. Contact me today to learn more.

Technology and Apps

Technology can support people with aphasia’s ability to communicate. Here are a few recommendations for technology and apps for aphasia:

  • Tactus Therapy: Offers a number of apps for adults recovering from stroke. They also offer free trial versions of their apps so you can see what you think before you purchase.
  • Constant Therapy: Offers an aphasia app called “Constant Therapy” with practice exercises for language and cognitive skills.
  • Lingraphica: Offers Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices for adults with communication impairments. They also offer some free apps that are similar to Tactus’ and Constant Therapy’s apps.
  • Honeycomb Activity Studio: This recommendation is for SLPs working with people for aphasia. Sarah Baar’s online platform offers evidence-based, person-centered education, evaluation, and treatment activities for people with aphasia and their care partners.

Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Programs (ICAP)

Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Programs, or ICAPs, offer intense aphasia therapy to help people regain their communication skills. Although these programs are not often covered by insurance, people who participate make incredible gains. Here are a few:

More Aphasia Resources

This blog post is certainly not an exhaustive list of aphasia resources. I’ve focused on some of the bigger organizations and those in Maine, but there are also some amazing local organizations in other states. For instance, the Adler Aphasia Center in NJ, the Triangle Aphasia Project in NC, the SCALE program in MD, and the Krempels Center in NH. To find more local resources, search the NAA Affiliate Directory, your local Brain Injury Association, or try a Google search for “aphasia resources near me”. To find a speech therapist near you who specializes in aphasia treatment, try the ASHA ProFind and filter your search by “aphasia”. There are also podcasts about aphasia, including “Brain Friends” and “Aphasia Access Conversations.”

I am always interested in learning about new aphasia resources. Please write any others we should know about in the comments below! What else would you like to learn about aphasia? Let me know in the comments.

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