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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: Missing Object Talk Through

What do hidden object games have to do with speech therapy? Everything! Hidden object games give you something to talk about as you search for each object in the picture.

 

Describe what you’re looking for—the name of the object and a description, such as “coffee mug” and then “a purple coffee mug with a broken handle.” After you say the object, find the object, and then go on to the next item on the list. Good luck! –This activity submitted by Marion

TUESDAY: Radio Stories

If you haven’t discovered radio stories yet, it’s time to spin the dial. Radio shows are spoken stories, similar to a television show without the picture. It’s just the soundtrack. You can listen to recent incarnations of the story form, or you can turn to the oldies but goodies.

 

Radio shows are a great way to have someone tell you a story. –This activity submitted by Emil

WEDNESDAY: Television Conversations

This may sound a little silly, but give it a try anyway. When you watch a television show or a movie at home, talk to the characters. Pretend they are speaking directly to you, or that you’re part of the scene. If they ask a question, try to answer it. If they say something funny or interesting, try to repeat what they said. The pause button is your friend in both cases.

 

Additionally, try to name or describe objects you see, describe what the people are doing, or simply tell each person hello and goodbye when they enter or exit a scene. –This activity submitted by Janet

THURSDAY: Speaking Crosswords

Completing crossword puzzles is a great way to practice speech because they’re often a little challenging. Filling out a crossword puzzle means playing with words. You can take your crossword puzzle to the next level by speaking your crossword puzzle. In other words, read aloud each clue before you try to solve it. The New York Times makes mini-puzzles that they post online and in books. Try to fill one out every day while speaking the clues aloud. –This activity submitted by Ralph

FRIDAY: Synonym Day

It is time for the opposite of Opposite Day, which is Synonym Day. Today, at least once an hour, pause after saying something and give as many words as you can which means something similar. For example, if someone asks how you are, you can answer, “I’m okay.”

 

And then list out all the similar words for “okay” such as pretty good, fair, fine, and so-so. It’s very tricky to come up with synonyms, so give your brain a good stretch and have it reach for a few extra words. –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.)