Recently I met with some tutors at the Santa Barbara library, and one asked me if I knew of resources to help one of her students who had a stroke and was trying to recuperate his English skills. I am personally not familiar with this area so I thought I would ask the groups here, especially this one.
Comments
Paul,
Thanks for reaching out to the Disabilities group with your question. A stroke can impact one person differently from the next, so it's hard to know what this person's issues in re-acquiring speech are at this time in their recovery. One common effect of a stroke on speech is aphasia. Aphasia is the clinical term for a loss of ability to understand or express speech, caused by brain damage.
Typically, a person with aphasia will work with a Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP) on re-acquiring speech. If this person is working with an SLP, their teacher may be able to find out more from that SLP about the kinds of guided practice they would be able to work on with the student. In many cases, a person working with an SLP has exercises to do, just like a person with a physical injury working with a physical therapist. A teacher, or tutor, can be a great asset in that process, provided they are informed on what will help this person's recovery.
Another resource to learn more about Aphasia is the National Stroke Association's website. There, you can find out more about suggestions for communicating with stroke survivors living with aphasia.
Have others in our group had any personal experience working with learners after a stroke? What have been the challenges, and resources you've found most helpful in working with these learners?
Mike Cruse
Disabilities in Adult Education Moderator
michaelcruse74@gmail.com
Mike, thanks for responding to my request. I guess I am like a lot of people who think that once a person has a stroke and cannot speak, well, that's it. Until I saw Kirk Douglas give a speech at an awards ceremony a few years ago, I thought stroke victims could not recover much of their speech.