Aphasia exercises at home

Good home practice is targeted, pitched at the right level, and frequent.

• Work on the skills that are hardest in daily life. For most people with aphasia that starts with finding words.
• Aim for about 80% success. If almost every item is wrong, make it easier; if every item is easy, make it harder.
• Practice 20–30 minutes, four or five days a week, rather than for hours once a week.

Aphasia affects people very differently. One person can understand everything but cannot find the words to answer; another speaks fluently but has trouble understanding. If a speech-language pathologist is involved, ask them which two or three skills to practice at home and follow their plan.

If no one is guiding you, start with the exercises below that feel slightly difficult, not impossible. Practice that ends in frustration every day is unlikely to continue for long enough to help.

Difficulty finding words, called anomia, is the most common problem in aphasia. These exercises target it directly. Our guide to word-finding exercises goes into more depth.

• Picture naming. Look at photos of everyday objects and say what each one is. Start with common things around the house.
• Describe it first. If the word will not come, describe the object: what group it belongs to, what it is used for, where you find it, what it looks like. Describing often brings the word out, and it is a useful way to communicate when it does not.
• Category lists. Name as many things as possible in one minute from a category: animals, foods, things in a kitchen.
• Sentence completion. A helper starts a familiar phrase (“You drink coffee from a …”) and the person finishes it.

• Automatic speech. Counting, days of the week, months, and familiar song lyrics are often easier than other speech and are a confidence-building way to start a session.
• Personal information. Practice saying your name, address, phone number, and the names of family members until they come reliably. These are the words that matter most in an emergency.
• Describing actions. Look at a picture of someone doing something and say what is happening: “The man is cooking.”
• Building sentences. Put a few word cards in the right order, then say the sentence aloud.

• Following directions. A helper gives instructions that get longer as the person succeeds: “Point to the cup.” “Point to the cup, then the spoon.” “Put the spoon in the cup.”
• Yes/no questions. “Is a banana yellow?” “Do you eat soup with a fork?” Simple questions are a gentle way to practice listening.
• Picture choice. Say a word and have the person point to the matching picture out of three or four.

• Word-to-picture matching. Match printed words to pictures, starting with short, familiar words.
• Short reading. Read a sentence or short paragraph and answer one or two questions about it.
• Copying and spelling. Copy useful words such as your name and family members’ names, then try writing them from memory.

Family members make the biggest difference to home practice. A few habits help:

• Wait. Give plenty of time to answer before stepping in. Finding a word can take many seconds.
• Cue, then give the word. Offer a hint (the first sound, what it is used for). If that fails, say the word and have the person repeat it, then move on.
• Keep it adult. Choose materials meant for adults, not children’s workbooks.
• Stop on a success. End each session with something the person can do, so the next session starts with confidence.

Research on aphasia therapy points to total practice time and practicing on most days as the things that matter most. The largest analysis to date found the biggest gains with more than 20 hours of therapy in total and practice on three to five or more days a week; very small totals did not help. Those studies were of therapy delivered by clinicians, so treat them as a guide for home practice rather than a guarantee. Our article on how much aphasia practice is enough covers the evidence in detail.

What are the best aphasia exercises to do at home?

The best exercises are the ones aimed at the skills that are hardest for that person, at a level where they succeed most of the time. For most people that means naming practice (finding words for pictures and objects), saying short phrases and sentences, following spoken directions, and reading single words or short sentences. A speech-language pathologist can tell you which areas matter most.

How long should a home practice session be?

Short and frequent works better than long and occasional. Twenty to thirty minutes on four or five days a week is a reasonable starting point, and stopping when fatigue sets in matters more than reaching a set time.

Should I correct every mistake?

No. Constant correction is discouraging and does not help much. Give a cue instead, such as the first sound of the word or a description of what it is used for, and if that does not work, say the word and have the person repeat it. Then move on.

Can aphasia exercises help years after a stroke?

Yes. Improvement with treatment has been shown in people whose aphasia began years earlier. Recovery tends to be slower than in the first months, but chronic aphasia remains treatable.

Can exercises at home replace speech therapy?

No. Home practice adds practice hours between sessions; it does not replace the assessment and planning a speech-language pathologist provides. The two work best together.