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If you did One Aphasia Action this spring (and it’s not too late to do the activities now!), you know that we love bite-sized, actionable ideas you can do from home. We wanted to keep the progress going through Aphasia Awareness Month.

 

Each week, we’re giving you five tips that we crowdsourced from people with aphasia, their caregivers, and professionals who work with people who have aphasia. They’re activities you can do without leaving home that will help you practice your speech or make life a little easier if you have aphasia.

 

Try out the activities below this week and make sure you fill out the form and leave your tip. (Pssst: You don’t need to write a lot. We’ll flesh out short tips with examples, as you’ll see below.)

MONDAY: Find the Coupon

Do you want to save money AND practice speech at the same time? Kitti and Regina play a game called Find the Coupon, using physical objects at the grocery store. The game starts at home, going through the coupon pages and finding items you buy. Even if you’re finding the object due to the accompanying picture, make sure you pause to also say the product aloud.

 

When you go to the store, use the clipped coupon to find the correct item on the shelf, checking aloud by saying the brand name and size of the product. This game combines reading and speaking—and you save money to boot! –This activity submitted by Kitti and Regina

TUESDAY: Driving Monologue

There is plenty of reading material while you’re on the road. If you’re in the passenger seat, take the time to read aloud signs. Start with the common ones that you can identify by shape and color, such as “stop” and “yield.” Move on to street signs and highway announcements. Every bit of reading and speaking counts, even announcing your street name every time you pull into the driveway. –This activity submitted by Sandy

WEDNESDAY: 20 Questions

With a normal game of 20 questions, a person thinks of an object and the other person tries to guess it by asking only “yes” or “no” questions. Is it bigger than a table? Can you eat it? Is it blue? Get creative and think of things off-the-beaten-path, such as items that would never be inside your home. It makes it harder for people to guess the object if they can’t see it in their line of vision. You can also make the game harder by playing a round with verbs or adjectives. Can you guess the action (verb) or description (adjective) by asking the right questions? –This activity submitted by Melissa

THURSDAY: Send a Message

Almost every device now contains a speech-to-text function so you can speak your message and see the words appear on the screen. Look for a microphone icon next to the keyboard to access this feature. Dictate a short message to a friend or family member. You will see the words typed on the screen after you say them. You can see how clearly you’re conveying words (though don’t feel bad if Siri messes up—she often does!) and read the words a second time on the screen. Plus, it’s a win-win because you also get to have a conversation with someone you miss. –This activity submitted by Evelyn at Aphasia SG in Singapore

FRIDAY: Opposite Day

What is the opposite of Opposite Day? Grab your conversation partner and have them act out a verb. You’re going to talk about the action in three ways. First, say it as a verb (smile), then a phrase (you are smiling), and finally as a sentence (you are smiling at me). And then say the opposite. For example, if the person is smiling, you will first go through what is happening. Then you will state the opposite in the same way: Frown, you are frowning, you are frowning at me. Switch back and forth, from action taker to action speaker. See if you can stump one another, coming up with an action that doesn’t have an opposite! –This activity submitted by Darlene Williamson, President of the NAA and founder of the Stroke Comeback Center

 

Got a great tip? Share it with others by filling out the form. We’ll turn it into an activity in one of the upcoming weeks and give you credit if we use it in a post. (Pssst: Again, you don’t need to write a lot. We’ll flesh out short tips with examples. The ideas above were only a short phrase when they came in on the form.)