From listening to directions📍, to enjoying a podcast🎤️, to having a quick chat at the grocery store💬 ... spoken language is all around us.

After a stroke or brain injury, understanding can be a real challenge in daily life. But you're not alone—and there are simple strategies that can make a big difference. 💬✨

👂How to Support Understanding

Spouses, friends, and family of loved ones with aphasia or other neurological conditions can play a big role in helping recovery by 👥 supporting comprehension. Here are some strategies to try:

🗣️ Use short, simple sentences with common words
👆 Avoid pronouns (say “Paul” instead of “he”)
👐 Use gestures, pointing, and facial expressions
📝 Write keywords in large print as you speak
📸 Use visual aids like pictures, drawings, or communication apps
👂 Check in often—“Did that make sense?”

When and where to talk:
🔇 Reduce distractions like background noise
👥 Have one-on-one conversations instead of group chats
⏰ Have important conversations when the person is most alert and focused

While these strategies may sound simple, it's amazing the difference they can make!

💬 Be Empowered During Conversation

People with aphasia can also play a role. Becoming aware of when you’ve missed something or need more support is a powerful skill. 💪

If something isn’t clear, it’s okay to speak up. Here are a few helpful phrases you can try in the moment:

🔹 “Please slow down.”
🔹 “Hold on a sec.”
🔹 “Can you repeat that?”
🔹 “Sorry, I missed that. Can you start over?”
🔹 “Could you write that down?”

📣 You can also let the other person know what you did understand. That makes it easier for them to fill in the blanks.

📚 Want to Understand More About Understanding?

Auditory comprehension, or understanding what you hear, relies on cognitive processes such as attention and memory, as well as on language skills.

Auditory comprehension abilities are closely connected to rehab outcomes and participation in activities post-rehab (Wallace et al., 2022).

Learn more about auditory comprehension, research, and treatment approaches that SLPs use in our latest blog.

📱 Psst… Our Annual App Sale Is Coming!

Our May App Sale is just around the corner, so if you’ve been thinking about getting some powerful speech therapy apps to practice communication and comprehension, keep an eye out. You’ll be able to grab the Tactus Therapy apps you need to practice skills at home at a discounted price for a limited time! (May 1-15)

🗓️ Stay tuned—we’ll be sharing more details soon! In the meantime, here are some apps to help with listening.

With a few small changes, understanding during conversation can get easier. Thank you for supporting your loved ones in understanding. For those recovering, thank you for working hard to understand every day! 💪✨

Warmly,

Megan

P.S. 🎉 With our annual app sale just around the corner, now is the time to try the free Lite versions so you'll know which ones to buy. Check out our handy App Finder tool - it will match you with the right tools for your goals.