The aphasia syndromes: Localization and classification

The premise of this article is that the members of the stroke team speak an abbreviated but common language when discussing the person with aphasia. The team's initial goal is to assess a person with stroke who has sustained left hemisphere injury and to be able to communicate effectively with each other and the patient in order to accomplish the rehabilitation goals. The article discusses differential diagnosis in aphasia and the advantages and disadvantages of aphasia classification. Given that aphasia classification is a necessary clinical charge, the various definitions of aphasia are presented, since what one does with the person with aphasia depends on what one thinks aphasia is. The syndrome approach is described as the method of choice for classifying persons with aphasia, and the various aphasia syndromes are then described both in terms of behavior and site of lesion. Finally, clinical implications are discussed in the context of applying the syndrome approach to aphasia classification in stroke rehabilitation.