A severe form of speech disorder in which expressive and receptive language skills are equally affected. Some symptoms of global aphasia are:
1) inability to understand, create and repeat speech and language;
2) difficulties with reading, writing and listening comprehension;
3) speech consists of several recognizable statements and words, memorized phrases and curses;
4) there may be extensive lexical disorders leading to the inability to read simple words or sentences;
5) a person can express himself with the help of facial expressions, intonation and gestures.
Causes: occlusion of the internal carotid artery or the middle cerebral artery supplying the dominant hemisphere. Also, global aphasia can be caused by traumatic brain injury, tumors, and progressive neurological disorders.
It is the most severe type of aphasia, resulting from extensive damage to Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas or adjacent areas. There are serious difficulties in all aspects of language, both in reproduction and understanding, and speech may be very limited or almost non-existent. Total aphasia significantly affects learning, social interaction, and the ability to interact with the environment, and the child requires intensive support to adapt to daily life. Comprehensive, interdisciplinary programs are needed, including intensive speech therapy, the use of alternative methods of communication such as gestures or images, and improved learning skills through other senses.