When someone has aphasia, it might seem like they're forgetting the words.

You might be tempted to explain word-finding difficulty as a "memory problem."

But aphasia is a bit more complicated. When a word won't come out, it's still there. It's not forgotten.

The problem is retrieval: pulling it out on demand, under time pressure, or in a specific moment. Our brain has to go through several steps to say a word, and any part of that process can be disrupted by aphasia.

Let's take the word "kitten" for example:

• First, the concept: a baby animal that meows and has pointy ears, whiskers, fur and a tail.
• Then, we map that concept to grammar: it's a single, countable noun.
• Then, we need the sounds of the word: "KIT-uhn" – two syllables, stress on the first.
• Then, we need the coordinated mouth movements and timing. Our mouth, tongue, lips, and vocal cords need to move in the right ways, and at the right times, to say the word out loud.

None of this involves forgetting a word the way you'd forget where you put your keys.

For many people with aphasia due to stroke or brain injury, their general memory is still okay. Learning new information or recalling past events is not a problem.

Aphasia affects language specifically – turning what we know into words.

However, it's worth mentioning that memory problems can show up alongside aphasia. If you're still sorting out what's going on, your speech therapist can help clarify.

If you want some helpful hints for how to communicate when words get stuck, check out one of our most popular articles: Word-Finding Strategies for Aphasia.

The article offers 10 strategies, a free PDF download, and several ways to practice.
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All the best,
​-Megan

P.S. Extra stressors, like physical exhaustion, a noisy room, distractions, strong emotions, and/or being tired can make word-finding more difficult. Sometimes finding a quiet space and taking a break can help too. ♥️