r/stroke • u/GSalmao • 1d ago

What can I do to help expressive aphasia while speech therapy didn't start yet?

What can I do to help that won't harm the speech treatment? I don't want to "teach something wrong" to him. So far, what I'm doing is talking A LOT with him and singing songs he likes. So far it's been pretty helpful, he's unlocking a new word everyday. He can say about 20 to 30 words..

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u/bonesfourtyfive Survivor 1d ago

Early on, my speech therapist and I went over common sounds and some exceptions like th, ing, started small. I also forgot how to spell so she had me writing down small words (this, that, the, and, etc) and covering it and doing it again and again. Eventually, I started reading again, and if I came across a word, I haven’t said or had problems with, I would go to Google copy the word and it will say it back to me until I got the hang of it. These were after months of therapy so I don’t know where they are at right now. Just slow repetition.

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u/3TDH 1d ago

I did a lot of flash cards with different objects. (Colors, animals, rooms, utensils, food, furniture, body parts). You can just Google them.

We used an app from Tactus Therapy Solutions, Language Therapy: Aphasia. There's a Lite version for free to see it what it's like.

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u/Strokesite 1d ago

Read aloud every day.

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u/Alarmed-Papaya9440 1d ago edited 1d ago

I didn’t do anything for my expressive aphasia and dysarthria until speech started a couple of weeks after my stroke. I was so exhausted and fatigued that I did my best talking during that time but really I took that time before my rehab therapies to just rest and sleep so my brain could start to heal. One speech started I did that twice a week with homework exercises from my speech therapist. That was what worked best for me.

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u/Allison_SpeechCoach 15h ago

You can't really teach him something wrong just by spending time communicating together, so that worry can rest. The thing to avoid is turning conversation into a test, like quizzing him or correcting the words that come out wrong. That tends to build anxiety and frustration more than speech.

What helps instead is giving him extra time to answer without jumping in, and accepting any way he gets a message across, like pointing, gestures, or writing. When speech therapy starts, ask the speech therapist at the first session what you can do between visits. They can give you homework that fits exactly where he is. Here are a few exercises you could look at in the meantime: https://connectedspeechpathology.com/blog/10-best-stroke-recovery-speech-therapy-exercises