In this paper, traumatic brain injuries, the effects on speech and language, and the speech-language pathologist’s role with patients who have suffered a traumatic brain injury will be discussed. A traumatic brain injury is a very common cause of speech and language problems. It is an acquired cause, meaning it is not present at birth. It affects many areas of communication, including cognitive and memory skills, as well as speech and language. A speech-language pathologist plays an important role in these individuals’ lives. Speech-language pathologists are responsible for both the evaluation and the therapy for the patient.

TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY
Introduction
Numerous research studies have been conducted on the topic …show more content…
Individuals who sustain a traumatic brain injury can either have receptive aphasia in which they cannot understand the spoken word, or they may have expressive aphasia in which it is difficult for them to speak intelligibly (Brain & Nervous System Health Center, 2016). Some individuals may even have a combination of both. Receptive aphasia is otherwise known as Wernicke’s, or fluent, aphasia. This is caused by an insult to Wernicke’s area that functions to process the meaning of words and spoken language. The Internet Stroke Center (n.d.) states, “Individuals with Wernicke’s aphasia usually have great difficulty understanding speech and are therefore often unaware of their mistakes.” On the other hand, expressive aphasia is non-fluent and is more commonly called Broca’s aphasia. Shua-Haim, Sabo, and Ross (1999) stated, “broca's aphasia is a form that severely reduces speech output and limits speech to short utterances of less than four words. The patient may understand speech and be able to read but have limited writing ability.” In other words, the individual knows what he or she wants to say, but has trouble communicating their thoughts to …show more content…
One speech disorder that may be caused by a traumatic brain injury is dysarthria. Dysarthria is a speech disorder that occurs due to central nervous system problems. This disorder causes weakness or maybe even paralysis in the muscles used for speech (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, n.d.). Another disorder secondary to a traumatic brain injury is apraxia. Apraxia, like dysarthria, is also due to a central nervous system problem. However, apraxia differs from dysarthria in that apraxia does not cause weakness or paralysis. Apraxia is the inability to execute fine motor movements at will (MedlinePlus, 2016). There are two different types of apraxia: oral apraxia and speech apraxia. Like the name states, oral apraxia affects the oral structure and one cannot do things, such as smile or stick out their tongue. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (n.d.) states, “the messages from the brain to the mouth are disrupted, and the person cannot move his or her lips or tongue to the right place to say sounds correctly, even though the muscles are not weak.” It is possible for one to have speech apraxia and not have oral apraxia. There may be several other speech problems that are secondary to a traumatic brain injury, but these are a few of the most