9 Amazing Resources for Aphasia Education & Support

ASHA

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for speech-language pathologist in the United States. They provide a number of resources for the public and professionals related to communication and swallowing disorders.

For the public, they offer a good explanation of what aphasia is and how it can impact families. For professionals, the practice portal for aphasia is a great place to find treatment options. For a review of the published evidence for various assessments and treatments, the evidence map for aphasia is extremely helpful.

Aphasia Recovery Connection

The Aphasia Recovery Connection (ARC) is a non-profit organization committed to ending the isolation of aphasia. They offer several online Facebook groups for people with aphasia and care partners to connect. ARC also provides virtual and in-person events such as dance classes for people with aphasia, informational sessions for care partners, and even aphasia cruises! ARC’s website has extensive resources for people with aphasia and care partners, including communication tools, videos, advocacy posters, books, and more. 

Australian Aphasia Rehab Pathway

This site says it very clearly: “The Australian Aphasia Rehabilitation Pathway (AARP) is a set of care standards for aphasia management. It has been designed for speech pathologists to help guide person-centered, evidence-based aphasia services. It aims to optimize the overall rehabilitation journey for people with aphasia and their families/friends.” It truly is a tremendous resource for best practice guidelines.

Tactus Therapy

Aphasia is our passion. We work hard to not only bring you evidence-based apps for aphasia therapy, but also to provide you with useful resources, blog posts, and education about aphasia and speech therapy. Check out the Aphasia Resources section of our site for several helpful links for professionals and families

We profile people with aphasia and their families (meet Byron, Dylan, Barbara, and Jennifer) as well as therapists who treat aphasia (like Megan). We offer helpful “what is” articles to explain communication disorders like aphasia (including global, fluent, and non-fluent), apraxia, and primary progressive aphasia. You’ll find “how to” articles and “using apps” articles for aphasia treatment. And you can also use our App Finder to see which apps you can try for free.

Aphasia Institute

The Aphasia Institute is an amazing local resource for the residents of Toronto. Fortunately for the rest of us, they make many of their innovations and resources available to everyone through trainings, an online store, and digital downloads.

The Supported Conversation for Adults With Aphasia (SCA™) technique should be mandatory training for all healthcare professionals. This overview will give you the basics on how to get your message IN, help get their message OUT, and to VERIFY that all went well while both acknowledging and revealing the competence of the person with aphasia. If you want to know more, take this self-directed online training module and share it with others.

Aphasia Software Finder

There are so many different computer programs and touch-screen apps for aphasia treatment – it can be overwhelming! The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia has put together a helpful website called the Aphasia Software Finder to help families and professionals navigate their options in an aphasia-friendly format.

AphasiaAccess

AphasiaAccess is an alliance of Life Participation Approach to Aphasia (LPAA) providers. Founded by respected researchers and aphasia center leaders, AphasiaAccess offers support, education, and resources for SLPs and other aphasia professionals.

Aphasia Simulations

It can be difficult to know what it’s like to have aphasia. A frequent analogy is that it’s like being in a country where you don’t know the language or have only studied it for a few weeks. But what does that really feel like?

The Aphasia Simulations website attempts to simulate what it might be like to have aphasia using a variety of demonstrations. A free app called Aphasia Education simulates what it’s like to go about your day in town with aphasia. Both are valuable tools for educating others and learning what people with aphasia may be experiencing.

Aphasia Videos

There are many wonderful videos that explain aphasia or share personal experiences. The Centre for Clinical Research Excellence in Aphasia has compiled many of these videos into one Aphasia Channel on YouTube so you can find them in one place.

Sarah Scott is a young stroke survivor with aphasia who has, with the help of her mother, documented her progress every year since she had her stroke. It would be wonderful for more people with aphasia to document their progress so we can finally put to rest the myth that people can’t improve after the first year.