Let’S Call It “Aphasia”: Rationales For Eliminating The Term “Dysphasia”

Keywords

aphasia; dysphasia; stroke; Terminology

Abstract

Health professionals, researchers, and policy makers often consider the two terms aphasia and dysphasia to be synonymous. The aim of this article is to argue the merits of the exclusive use of the term aphasia and present a strategy for creating change through institutions such as the WHO-ICD. Our contention is that one term avoids confusion, speech-language pathologists prefer aphasia, scholarly publications indicate a preference for the term aphasia, stroke clinical guidelines indicate a preference for the term aphasia, consumer organizations use the title aphasia in their name and on their websites, and languages other than English use a term similar to aphasia. The use of the term dysphasia in the broader medical community may stem from the two terms being used interchangeably in the ICD10. Aphasia United http://www.shrs.uq.edu.au/aphasiaunited, an international movement for uniting the voice of all stakeholders in aphasia within an international context, will seek to eliminate the use of the term dysphasia.

Publication Date

10-1-2016

Publication Title

International Journal of Stroke

Volume

11

Issue

8

Number of Pages

848-851

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1177/1747493016654487

Socpus ID

84990855464 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/84990855464

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