If brain damage is minimal then a patient may recover language skills over time without treatment, however if the damage is severe it may be necessary to receive speech and language therapy. Recovery from this type of brain injury is a slow process and very few patients regain the same level of language and communication skills that they have before the injury. Patients with aphasia usually undergo speech therapy where they relearn and practice supplementary communication methods. Speech therapy is not a cure for the aphasia, but instead helps patients use skills that remain intact. When considering the prognosis for individuals with aphasia it is necessary to consider internal factors, patient specific factors, and external factors as these factors are considered most critical to post-stroke recovery. Internal factors are factors related to the stroke such as aphasia severity, lesion site and lesion size . Individuals with milder forms of aphasia, lesions that insignificantly impact language function and smaller lesions tend to have a higher degree of aphasia recovery. Lesions in the superior temporal gyrus (STG) produce a more persistent global aphasia, which is associated with poor aphasia recovery. Patient specific factors relate to the patient's age of onset, education level and motivation for recovery. Younger patients have been reported to demonstrate a higher recovery rate than older patients. Those with more years of education are less vulnerable to language disruption by stroke. External factors include environmental factors such as type and amount of language treatment provided. Stroke patients who are generally aware of their handicap and receive good support show more motivation and are more likely to have a better outcome.
Mixed transcortical aphasia
Transcortical motor aphasia
Logopenic progressive aphasia
Transcortical sensory aphasia
Conduction aphasia
Jargon aphasia
Global aphasia
Dissociated sensory loss