Rehabilitation Medicine Management in Aphasia

An aphasic person treated by a rehabilitation medicine service usually has a number of deficits of function, in addition to the aphasia. He is, therefore, seen as a patient who in most cases has had a cerebral vascular acident and is evaluated for a comprehensive rehabilitation program. T h e aphasia is only one problem and is approached in the context of the total patient. A rehabilitation medicine service does not necessarily treat the aphasia directly. However, in the context of treating the whole patient, a number of factors that are treated directly can influence the course of the aphasia as well as the patient's adaption to a continuing language deficit. In this article, the rehabilitation medicine team approach to the aphasic patient will be discussed. In particular, the approaches of the rehabilitation physician; the occupational therapist, and the physical therapist will be presented. Furthermore, an approach will be discussed that is not yet in the domain of common treatment, sensory feedback therapy. T h e mechanisms of recovery from central nervous system (CNS) damage will be discussed briefly.