Aphasia Awareness Training for First Responders: Communication Strategies for Emergency Situations

Aphasia is an acquired neurologic communication disorder affecting comprehension and/or expression of language across modalities. Aphasia can affect an individual’s ability to provide first responders and law enforcement with identifying information or follow commands during emergency situations. Emergency service personnel often encounter individuals in stressful situations, which can heighten the communication difficulty experienced by a person with aphasia. Research has found that first responders/aw enforcement do not receive extensive training on aphasia, however they are more likely to come into contact with a person with aphasia as opposed to an individual with a neurodegenerative disorder (Ganzfried & Symbolik, 2011). Due to limited training with this disorder, aphasia is often misinterpreted as a mental illness or other condition. It is essential that first responders and law enforcement are provided with adequate training about aphasia and strategies to communicate with these individuals during emergency situations. Avi Golden and Dr. Kaitlin Brooks speak with first responders and other medical professionals to increase aphasia awareness. The presentation describes aphasia, common symptoms and manifestations (with video examples), as well as various communication strategies that can be used by first responders in order to improve communicative effectiveness between people with aphasia and emergency service personnel.