Speech and Language Therapy for Aphasia Following Stroke

Abstract

Language problems following a stroke are called aphasia (or dysphasia). About one-third of all people who experience stroke develop aphasia, which can affect one or more areas of communication (speaking, understanding spoken words, reading and writing). Speech and language therapists are involved in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of aphasia at all stages of recovery, and work closely with the person with aphasia and their carers. There is no universally accepted treatment that can be applied to every person with aphasia. We identified 30 trials involving 1840 randomised participants that were suitable for inclusion in this review. Overall, the review shows evidence from randomised trials to suggest there may be a benefit from speech and language therapy but there was insufficient evidence to indicate the best approach to delivering speech and language therapy.