You can always make progress!

Today I saw a person with aphasia for therapy. He had a stroke four years ago. Since that time he has not been able to speak except for "yes", "no", "coffee", and a few automatic words, such as "Fine" and "OK". He could repeat words, and finish a phrase, such as "Open the __ " with an appropriate word. But he could not initiate communication. Before his stroke, he was a teacher, a "man of words". Fortunately, after the stroke, he was still able to read and understand speech. Every day, he reads the New York Times. A few weeks ago, he started speaking words. To say words, he looks at the newspaper and says words. They are not words that are on the page or related to what he is reading about. Nor do they communicate a message. But for the first time in four years, he is initiating words on his own. I am completely amazed!

Two things may have helped him progress. The first is a CD with a "talking dictionary", in which you can tab down a list of words, and the word is spoken aloud. This was a CD to teach English as a second language, not a therapy CD. The second thing is acupuncture, which he began several months ago. I do not know if acupuncture can help aphasia, but in this case there was improvement in speech after acupuncture was started. Another woman also has done acupuncture for aphasia. She says that she doesn't think it helps her speech, but it does make her feel more relaxed. There are so few therapies for aphasia that it would be good to see research on the effectiveness of acupuncture for this condition.