“It’s on the tip of my tongue…”
Word-finding difficulties are just one aspect of living with aphasia, a language disorder. Persons with aphasia know conceptually what they want to say, but may have difficulty putting it into words. This can lead to a “tip of the tongue” scenario. Speech becomes slow and effortful, with pauses and hesitations. The person with aphasia might “talk around” the word they are trying to say. Sometimes, it ends in frustration and giving up on the intended message.
Speech therapy can help structure language activities to improve word-finding. There are also many apps with naming exercises: Constant Therapy, TalkPath Therapy, and Tactus Therapy are just a few. If a person with aphasia can read written words, try helping her by labeling common objects around the house. When a person with aphasia is having trouble finding the word, he can also try these strategies.
Strategy | Example… “apple” |
| It’s red or green and round We eat it It grows on a tree You can buy it at the grocery store |
Tell the first letter or sound | It starts with A It starts with “app…” |
Write it or type it | Write or type apple |
Draw it |  |
Show it | Make the action of picking an apple and eating an apple |
If you have been experiencing word finding our speech therapists have experience working with individuals and have more strategies that may help. Please contact our office at 315-810-2423 or info@brainbodybetter.com with any questions about how we may be able to help you!
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