Carol, a second-grade student who had a traumatic brain injury at birth, has difficulty understanding others and communicating needs. She is most likely experiencing which condition?

Carol, a second-grade student who had a traumatic brain injury at birth, has difficulty understanding others and communicating needs. She is most likely experiencing which condition?

• A. Dyscalculia
• B. Aphasia
• C. Apraxia
• D. Dysphonia

Answer: (B)

Language impairment after brain injury is being assessed. Aphasia is a language disorder caused by brain damage that affects understanding and/or using language. When a child has a traumatic brain injury from birth and shows trouble understanding what others say and difficulty expressing needs, this pattern best fits aphasia. Other conditions involve different skills—for example, dysphonia affects voice quality, apraxia of speech involves trouble planning speech movements while language understanding is usually intact, and dyscalculia is a math-specific learning issue. So the combination of comprehension and expressive language difficulties points to aphasia.

Language impairment after brain injury is being assessed. Aphasia is a language disorder caused by brain damage that affects understanding and/or using language. When a child has a traumatic brain injury from birth and shows trouble understanding what others say and difficulty expressing needs, this pattern best fits aphasia. Other conditions involve different skills—for example, dysphonia affects voice quality, apraxia of speech involves trouble planning speech movements while language understanding is usually intact, and dyscalculia is a math-specific learning issue. So the combination of comprehension and expressive language difficulties points to aphasia.