Brain injuries can cause an assortment of long-term problems for survivors, and aphasia is one among many. Aphasia is a condition that affects a person’s ability to speak or understand verbal and written language. Depending on the location and severity of a brain injury, each person with aphasia will be affected differently.

In January of 2011, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was ruthlessly attacked with a handgun while giving a speech at the Congress on Your Corner event in Tucson, Arizona. After being shot in the head and narrowly surviving, Giffords spent a lot of time in the hospital recovering from a traumatic brain injury. It later became known to the public that she had aphasia because of her injuries. Like many others with the condition, she has incorporated speech therapy into her recovery.

What makes Giffords so inspirational is that she had a job requiring perfect public speaking skills, but continued to press on with her career and life despite her injuries. Two months after her attack, she was present to make a vote in Congress to raise the debt ceiling. In 2012 after the Sandy Hook school shooting, Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly founded Americans for Responsible Solutions, an organization seeking to improve gun control laws.

Can Aphasia Be Treated With Therapy?

The brain is an elastic organ, meaning it is able to change and rewire itself. Aphasia treatment will consist of practicing speaking in an attempt to force the brain to “relearn” what has been lost. Aphasia can be a very frustrating condition for those suffering from it, so caregivers and therapists will often come up with “compensatory strategies” to help individuals find new ways to convey messages.

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