Addressing language challenges after a stroke

Stroke is the most common cause of aphasia, a language-based brain disorder that can affect speaking, understanding, reading, and writing. But the brain has the ability to rewire brain cells and recover lost function through a process known as neuroplasticity. Therapy with a speech-language pathologist facilitates this recovery, which is greatest in the first several months after a stroke. Stroke survivors who keep working on their language processing problems can continue to improve for years.