Communication Supports

1. Be Patient & Attentive

• Get the person’s auditory and visual attention:  “Mom, (tap arm gently), I want to tell you about Ciara’s dance competition (show picture).
• Give plenty of time for responses—pause or count to five before asking if you can help.
• Wait for the person to finish—don’t interrupt or try to complete their thoughts.

2. Simplify Your Words & Pace

• Use short, simple sentences at a normal volume. 
  • Replace “Joe, after we go to the doctor, I need to swing by the grocery store to get bread for us to make sandwiches for lunch” ???? with “Joe, at 10, we will go to see Dr. Baker. (show watch)”. 
• Speak slowly, with clear pauses between ideas.

3. Reduce Distractions

• Choose a quiet space and ensure the person has eye contact before speaking. 
  • Turn down the TV or choose a table off to the side where there isn’t a lot of traffic/noise. 

4. Use Visual Supports

• Combine speech with gestures, drawings, writing, pictures, or communication aids.  
  • Simple communication supports (i.e. whiteboard drawing with arrows, circled info, etc.) and photos/maps on your phone really help. 
• This is a great time to use “apps” on your phone or make adjustments in the “Accessibility features” to text to speech, larger font, etc.

5. Ask Yes/No or Choice-Based Questions

• Phrase questions simply (“Do you want tea or coffee?”) or offer thumbs-up/down or one hand and then the other.
• Choices can be visual or verbal but note that sometimes, because of perseveration, a person with aphasia may state the last thing they heard vs. what they really intended to say. 

6. Confirm & Echo

• Validating that you are both on the same page is important and can reduce communication breakdowns. 
• Repeat back what you understood: “You pointed outside and got your sneakers, did you want to go for a walk?” or “You are holding your head (mirror gesture) and have a pained look on your face.  Do you have a headache?”

7. Encourage Participation & Praise Effort

• Cheer on, respectfully, any and all attempts to communicate.  
• Point out what they did or said that helped the message come across.
• Avoid criticisms or focusing on mistakes.

8. Never Exclude a Person with Aphasia from Conversation!

• Keep them in the loop—share news, plans, conversations as if nothing changed.
• Invite their opinions and contributions in family or group decisions.

9. Ask What Works Best

• Dialogue is always better than assumptions or guessing—ask directly: “Would writing it down help?”
• Follow their lead; adapt your style based on their preferences.