Wernicke’s Aphasia

What Is It?

A fluent aphasia where patients produce grammatically correct but nonsensical speech. Comprehension is significantly impaired.

So What Does That Look Like?

Wernicke's aphasia primarily affects understanding of spoken language. People with Wernicke's aphasia often speak fluently but may use incorrect words or even made-up words.

Language Skills Affected

Auditory Comprehension, Error Awareness, Word Finding/Retrieval

Key Characteristics

  • Speech pattern: Fluent, normal-sounding rhythm and rate
  • Word choice: May use incorrect words (semantic paraphasias), nonsense words (neologisms), or substitute words
  • Content: Speech may lack meaningful content despite fluency
  • Comprehension: Significant difficulty understanding what others say
  • Awareness: Often unaware of their speech errors

How It Impact's Daily Life

People with Wernicke's aphasia may speak in long sentences that sound normal in rhythm but contain errors or lack meaning. They may have difficulty following conversations, TV shows, or written material.

Treatment Approaches & Exercises That May Help

  • Auditory comprehension exercises, like listening tasks
  • Picture matching to improve word associations
  • Controlled conversation practice with feedback
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