Remember you are a competent person! Strategies to help you express thoughts and understand others:
1. Use a variety of communication methods:
| Pictures on phone |
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| Gesture (thumbs up and down, head nod, pointing) |
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| Write with LEFT hand (write the first letter, it helps your communication partner better understand you). |
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| Draw (draw a picture of what you want to express) | |
| Head up, speak slowly | |
| Ask people to slow down, write, or wait (you can use your pointer finger to indicate ‘wait’) |
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| Take notes when reading/listening |
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| Say “I had a stroke” to encourage listeners to be patient | |
| Take photos of items in your house or objects you may talk about later |
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| Keep a notepad in the car |
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2. To watch TV, use subtitles
3. To watch YouTube, use subtitles and slow rate
4. Helpful Applications
- Texting – Phrase Express
- Reading – Natural Reader
- Memory – Journal App
- Text to Speech for websites- Talkify
- Aphasia Friendly Starbucks menu
- Making lists, memory aids: Notes App
- Memory aid: reminders app
- Attention/Memory aid: Add Clock/Alarm- https://vclock.com/
5. Additional Resources
- Driving: https://drive.ky.gov/Pages/CD.aspx - add communication barriers to vehicle registration
- Emergency: https://www.smart911.com/ - add information for emergency responders to know when they see your number.
- Aphasia ID card
- Aphasia Community that meets on zoom- https://lingraphica.com/