Expressive aphasia is ?

Expressive aphasia is ?

• A. A language development disorder in children.
• B. A motor speech disorder affecting speech production.
• C. A type of aphasia where understanding is impaired.
• D. A type of aphasia where a person has trouble expressing words.

Answer: (D)

Expressive aphasia is a language production deficit. The person usually understands speech well and can follow simple instructions, but has great difficulty forming words and sentences. Speech tends to be slow, halting, and telegraphic—phrases may omit small function words like “is,” “the,” or “and,” and naming objects can be challenging. Writing is often affected in the same way because it mirrors spoken language. This condition typically results from damage to left-hemisphere language areas (often Broca’s area). In practice, when communicating with someone who has expressive aphasia, give extra time, use simple, concrete sentences, ask yes/no questions, and use nonverbal aids such as gestures or pictures. Involve speech-language pathology for targeted therapy. Conceptually, this is different from a motor speech disorder (which affects the movement of the mouth and speech muscles) and from receptive aphasia (where understanding is impaired). It’s also not a developmental issue from childhood, but an acquired language production impairment.

Expressive aphasia is a language production deficit. The person usually understands speech well and can follow simple instructions, but has great difficulty forming words and sentences. Speech tends to be slow, halting, and telegraphic—phrases may omit small function words like “is,” “the,” or “and,” and naming objects can be challenging. Writing is often affected in the same way because it mirrors spoken language. This condition typically results from damage to left-hemisphere language areas (often Broca’s area).

In practice, when communicating with someone who has expressive aphasia, give extra time, use simple, concrete sentences, ask yes/no questions, and use nonverbal aids such as gestures or pictures. Involve speech-language pathology for targeted therapy.

Conceptually, this is different from a motor speech disorder (which affects the movement of the mouth and speech muscles) and from receptive aphasia (where understanding is impaired). It’s also not a developmental issue from childhood, but an acquired language production impairment.