Word finding disorders are not only found in childhood, but often in adulthood as well. Such disorders are usually temporary in children. To ensure and accelerate the healing process, treatment with a speech therapist is recommended.
What are word finding disorders?
To ensure and speed up the healing process for such a disorder, treatment with a speech therapist is recommended. Science distinguishes word-finding disorders into dysphasia and aphasia. In aphasia, there is damage to the ability to express speech, which may have as its cause neurological injuries or tumors. Dysphasia, on the other hand, is a developmental disorder. Asphasia can be divided into several degrees of difficulty. In more severe forms, comprehension and the ability to read are impaired, in addition to speech itself. Word-finding disorders of this form are manifested by frequent pauses during a conversation. These pauses occur because a suitable word is being searched for. In some circumstances, errors in word form as well as word choice may also occur.
Causes
Word-finding disorders are often caused by damage to language-relevant areas located in the cerebral cortex of the language-dominant hemisphere of the brain. So-called “cerebral vascular insults” (strokes), which have as a consequence an interruption of the blood flow or lead to hemorrhages, are among the most frequent causes. In this case, the functioning of the areas in the brain relevant to speech is often affected. Other possible causes of word-finding disorders include meningitis, accidents (e.g., traumatic brain injury), brain tumors, or dementia disorders (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease).
Diseases with this symptom
- Tumor
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Concussion
- Meningitis
- Stuttering
- Stroke
- Developmental disorders in children
- Dementia
- Brain tumor
Diagnosis and course
For therapy with optimal results, the diagnosis of a word-finding disorder is of particular importance. Here, the focus is on finding the functional impairment that leads to the word-finding disorder. A so-called word processing model is used to narrow down the corresponding level of impairment, and discussions are also held between the doctor and the patient to ascertain the findings. The physician will also consult further examinations, with which the symptoms can be precisely checked with the help of selected methods. Among other things, examinations on the production of words as well as on the comprehension of words are used. Furthermore, in addition to oral performance, written performance is also tested in order to be able to make a clear diagnosis. Standardized test procedures (e.g. LeMo, Bogenhauser Semantik Untersuchung) are available for such examinations. Only after a neurolinguistic profile of the patient has been created can the appropriate therapy methods be selected. The profile results from existing as well as impaired abilities, which are determined in the test procedure. The diagnosis also takes into account how the patient himself deals with the impairment (e.g. spontaneous use of strategies to compensate for the disorder). Relatives are also often interviewed as part of the diagnostic process. After the findings have been collected, the physician informs the patient as well as the relatives about the extent of the impairment and the targeted therapy goals. The success of a treatment always depends on several factors. Among other things, the patient’s age also plays a role here, because regeneration processes occur much more slowly with increasing age, which is why an early start to therapy is always desirable.
Complications
Common complications of word-finding disorder include communication problems and stigmatization. When word-finding disorder is severe, gaps in dialogue often develop. It is not always possible to paraphrase the word being searched for or to use a synonym. To make matters worse, the search for synonyms may also be limited with word-finding disorder. Due to the communication problems, it is necessary for other people to be considerate and patient in conversation. Ideally, the affected person himself expresses what reactions he would like to see from people who belong to his close environment.Should the other persons recite words or rather wait? Stigmatization is another social complication of word-finding disorder. The restriction sometimes gives outsiders the impression that the affected person is not very intelligent or is “just making a fuss”. Possibly, the affected person increasingly withdraws as a result. For this reason, it is an advantage if the word-finding disorder is known as such, at least by friends and family members. In some cases, psychological complications such as depression or anxiety disorders (especially social phobia and agoraphobia) are still possible. However, one’s frustration can also turn into aggression. In this case, the dissatisfaction with the difficult situation is often directed against individuals who are blamed for the difficult communication.
When should you go to the doctor?
After anesthesia, taking strong medication, or great nervous stress, word-finding disorders are not uncommon. Even in connection with a concussion or in old age, people often search for the right word and sentence formation. If such a situation exists, relatives should not confront the affected person with an accusation, but offer help and name the right words. But it is much more important to ensure relaxation and rest. Just a few hours of sleep often bring the body and mind back to normal. However, if the word-finding disorders persist and are still present the next day, a visit to an expert is recommended. A first diagnosis and further information can be obtained in particular from internists, neurologists, ophthalmologists or even the family doctor, who can consult comparative cases. Very old people and people with acute psychological problems can find help from gerontologists (geriatricians) or psychologists. Tip: The situation is usually unpleasant for the person affected. To stand by him, to create closeness and to relieve him of work and effort in everyday life is a concrete and quick help that everyone can provide.
Treatment and therapy
Word finding disorders can be treated according to two methods: the direct method and the compensatory method. Orientation for specific treatment is always based on the neurolinguistic performance pattern determined in the affected patient. With the direct method, the dysfunction is treated directly. The therapy includes, among other things, exercises in which generic terms (e.g., strawberry – fruit) are categorized or meaningful features (e.g., tomato – plant, edible, red) are named. In the compensatory method, impairments of the word-form level are improved by exercises (e.g., by means of phonetic aids in the oral naming of object images, presentation of the first sound of a word). So-called detour strategies can also have a chance of success with some affected persons. In this case, preserved skills are used to support word finding (e.g., writing the first letters of a word or the entire word). Speech therapy for the treatment of word finding disorders is generally divided into 3 phases. The first phase (approximately 4 to 6 weeks in duration), also referred to as the activation phase, involves linguistic stimulation. The second phase (disorder-specific practice phase) begins with individual therapy and deals primarily with language systemic disorders. The third and thus final phase (consolidation phase) helps the affected person to make the best possible use of his or her language abilities and is usually carried out as group therapy. The extent of the overall treatment always depends on the patient and his or her condition.
Outlook and prognosis
In many cases, word finding disorder occurs temporarily and disappears on its own. This is especially the case when the affected person is tired or ill, or when the patient has taken alcohol and other drugs. In this case, a word-finding disorder may occur temporarily, which usually disappears again after these substances have worn off. If the word-finding disorder becomes permanent, it can lead to significant complications and limitations in everyday life. Children, in particular, may become victims of bullying and teasing due to the disorder and develop psychological complaints or aggressive behavior as a result. In most cases, word finding disorder can be treated and managed relatively well, although in rare cases, the disorder may be limited and not completely resolved.In the case of psychological complaints or traumatic experiences, discussions and therapies with a psychologist can be helpful. If the word-finding disorder occurs due to another illness, the underlying illness is treated first and foremost. If the brain has been damaged, it is usually no longer possible to treat the word-finding disorder completely. If the disorder is severe, there is a reduced quality of life. Life expectancy is usually not altered by the disorder.
Prevention
Word-finding disorders cannot generally be prevented, because they are usually a consequence of other diseases. For this reason, however, it is at least possible to prevent the causative disorders. Especially risks for strokes, which are considered to be the main cause for word-finding disorders, should be reduced as much as possible (e.g. quitting or reducing smoking, lowering blood pressure, reducing weight). In general, even in non-risk groups, stroke risk can be reduced by regular exercise such as walking or jogging.
Here’s what you can do yourself
Word-finding problems are, to a certain extent, something quite normal. Almost everyone is confronted with this problem. If word-finding disorders occur in childhood, it can be due to developmental disorders as well as shyness. Communication games can help improve the situation. If that doesn’t help, child psychologists or psychiatrists are needed. Older people can also suffer from word-finding disorders as soon as their memory starts to deteriorate. Regular memory training or appropriate medication can help here. Stressful situations, trauma or heavy alcohol and drug use can also cause word-finding disorders. Depending on the severity and duration of the disorder, a doctor should be consulted. If word-finding disorders occur in everyday speech, a form of dementia may even be present. If memory training, crossword puzzles, talk therapy, etc. do not bring any improvement, a doctor should be consulted. A neurologist can use tests to classify the word-finding disorders. Therapies can be based on this. The disorders can also be related to diseases such as dysphasia, aphasia, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia or Parkinson’s disease. In that case, those affected and those around them should not become agitated. Instead, it is initially helpful to pay attention to fitness, nutrition and memory training. If word-finding disorders prove to be serious, the doctor’s precise diagnosis must decide on specific steps. These include logopedic interventions, occupational therapy or targeted memory training. If word-finding disorders are based on head injuries, a team of specialists such as neurologists and speech therapists is needed to restore speech as far as possible.
