Aphasia Speech Therapy in Perth

What is Aphasia?

Aphasia is an acquired language disorder caused by changes or damage to specific areas of the brain, most commonly after stroke, traumatic brain injury, or other neurological conditions. Aphasia can affect a person’s ability to talk, understand spoken language, read, and write. People with aphasia may have difficulty finding words, forming sentences, or following conversations.

At Palms Physiotherapy & Allied Health, our speech pathologists provide assessment and therapy to support functional communication and participation at home, work, and in the community.

Types of Aphasia

Aphasia can present in different ways depending on the areas of the brain affected. Common profiles include:

• Broca’s aphasia (non-fluent aphasia): Speech may be slow and effortful with reduced sentence length. Understanding may be relatively better than expression for some people, but can also be affected.

• Wernike’s aphasia (fluent aphasia): Speech may sound fluent but include incorrect words or reduced meaning, and understanding of spoken language may be significantly affected.

• Global aphasia: Significant difficulties with both understanding and expressing language, often seen after a large left-hemisphere stroke, particularly in the early stages.

• Anomic aphasia: Ongoing word-finding difficulty, with sentence structure and understanding often less affected (though this varies).

A detailed assessment helps clarify the person’s language profile and guides an evidence-informed therapy plan.

Causes of Aphasia

Aphasia occurs when language networks in the brain are impacted. Common causes include:

• Stroke (most common)

• Traumatic brain injury (TBI)

• Brain tumours (depending on location and treatment)

• Neurodegenerative conditions, including Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA), where language changes may gradually worsen over time

Our recommendations are tailored to the person’s diagnosis, stage of recovery, communication needs, and goals.

Common Signs and Symptoms

Aphasia affects people differently, but may include:

• Difficulty speaking or forming sentences

• Word-finding difficulty (e.g., “tip of the tongue” moments)

• Difficulty understanding spoken language (especially rapid or complex conversation)

• Challenges with reading and/or writing

• Increased communication effort and fatigue

If you or a loved one is experiencing these changes, speech pathology support can help with communication strategies and daily participation.

Aphasia Therapy at Palms Physiotherapy & Allied Health

Our speech pathologists provide individualised, goal-directed therapy. Depending on the person’s needs, support may include:

• Expressive language therapy: word-finding strategies, sentence formulation, and functional communication practice

• Receptive language therapy: strategies to support understanding of spoken and written information

• Reading and writing support: rebuilding literacy skills where relevant to daily life

• Conversation and social communication: practical strategies for everyday interactions with family, friends, and services

• Communication supports/AAC (when appropriate): tools such as communication books, picture supports, or apps to support reliable communication

Therapy is always tailored to what the person needs to communicate day-to-day.

Why Early Support Can Help

Some people experience natural improvement in the early stages following stroke or injury. Many people also benefit from early, targeted speech pathology, which may help to:

• support recovery of language skills and functional communication

• reduce frustration and communication breakdowns

• build effective strategies for daily life

• improve confidence and participation

Progress varies depending on factors such as diagnosis, severity, time since onset, overall health, and therapy intensity.

Aphasia Support for Adults and Seniors

Aphasia most commonly affects adults and older adults. Therapy may focus on:

• functional communication strategies for everyday situations (e.g., making requests, phone calls, appointments)

• communication-related cognitive supports (attention, memory, organisation as they affect communication)

• family and communication partner training to make conversations easier and reduce stress

Supporting Families and Caregivers

Aphasia affects the whole family. We can provide:

• communication partner strategies (how to support conversation without “taking over”)

• home practice recommendations that are realistic and targeted

• education and resources tailored to the individual and their goals

Book an Aphasia Assessment in Malaga (Perth)

If you’re looking for aphasia assessment and therapy in or near Malaga, our speech pathology team is here to help. Contact Palms Physiotherapy & Allied Health to book an appointment and develop a practical plan to support communication and participation.

Speech Therapy Services We Provide

Paediatric Speech Therapy

• Paediatric speech therapy supports children with speech, language, communication, and early literacy needs using evidence-based and child-friendly approaches. Sessions may be play-based (especially for younger children), while still being structured and goal-directed.

• Common areas we support include:

  1. Speech sound development (clarity and intelligibility)

  2. Language delays and developmental language disorder

  3. Social communication support

  4. AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) where appropriate

  5. Early literacy foundations (e.g., phonological awareness)

Adult Speech Therapy

• Adult speech therapy supports adults with communication and swallowing needs related to neurological conditions, injury, medical events, or age-related changes. Therapy is practical, functional, and designed around everyday participation (home, work, community).

• Common areas we support include:

  1. Communication changes after stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI), or neurological illness

  2. Dysarthria and motor speech changes

  3. Cognitive-communication difficulties (attention, memory, organisation impacting communication)

  4. Voice therapy where indicated

  5. Dysphagia support and mealtime strategies

NDIS Speech Therapy Services

• NDIS speech therapy is available for self-managed and plan-managed participants. Therapy may focus on functional communication goals, speech clarity, social interaction and participation, and AAC support where required. We collaborate with participants, families, support coordinators, schools, and relevant providers to support practical, meaningful outcomes.

Speech Therapy for Swallowing Disorders (Dysphagia)

• Dysphagia (swallowing) support helps when swallowing difficulties affect hydration, nutrition, safety and confidence with eating and drinking. Our speech pathologists can complete clinical assessments (as appropriate), provide strategies for safer swallowing, recommend targeted exercises when indicated, and support shared-care referral pathways with GPs/ENT/medical teams when needed.

Why Choose Palms Physiotherapy & Allied Health for Speech Therapy?

Experienced Speech Pathologists: Skilled in paediatric and adult communication and swallowing support.

NDIS Provider (self- and plan-managed): Therapy is aligned to participant goals and everyday function.

Family-Centred Approach: We involve parents, carers, and supports where appropriate so strategies carry over into real life.

Collaborative, Multidisciplinary Care: We work alongside our broader allied health team when integrated support is beneficial.

Sensory Room & Kids Therapy Gym

Our sensory room and kids therapy gym can support therapy goals through a motivating, functional environment—particularly helpful for children who benefit from movement-based learning and sensory regulation strategies. These spaces may be used when clinically relevant to support engagement, attention, participation, and goal progress.

Speech Therapy – What We Can Help With

Speech pathologists (speech therapists) support children and adults with a wide range of speech, language, voice, fluency, and swallowing needs. Below is a practical overview of the common areas we assess and treat at Palms.

Speech Sound & Motor Speech

• Articulation Disorders: Difficulty producing specific speech sounds clearly (e.g., /s/, /r/, /l/).

• Phonological Disorders: Patterns/rules of sound errors that reduce intelligibility (e.g., fronting, final consonant deletion).

• Apraxia of Speech: Motor planning/programming difficulty; speech errors may be inconsistent and speech can sound “choppy.”

• Dysarthria: Speech changes due to weakness, tone or coordination differences affecting speech muscles.

Language

• Expressive Language Disorder: Difficulty using words/sentences to share ideas, tell stories, ask questions, or use grammar accurately.

• Receptive Language Disorder: Difficulty understanding spoken/written language, following instructions, or processing complex language.

• Mixed Expressive–Receptive Language Disorder: Difficulties with both understanding and expressing language.

• Developmental Delays: Support when speech and language milestones are developing more slowly than expected.

• Aphasia: Language difficulty often after stroke/brain injury, affecting speaking, understanding, reading and/or writing.

Voice

• Hoarseness or Strained Voice: Raspy, breathy, strained or unreliable voice; can relate to vocal load, inflammation, reflux, or vocal fold changes.

• Vocal Cord Paralysis: One or both vocal folds do not move normally, impacting voice, breathing and/or swallowing.

• Resonance Disorders: Speech that sounds overly nasal or “blocked”; may be structural, neuromuscular and/or learned.

• Gender Affirming Voice and Speech Therapy: Support to align voice and communication with gender identity using safe, evidence-based voice techniques.

• Psychogenic Voice Disorders and Conversion Disorder: Voice changes linked to psychological factors; therapy supports voice recovery and functional communication.

Fluency

• Stuttering: Disruptions to speech flow (repetitions, prolongations, blocks) that can impact confidence and participation.

• Cluttering: Fast or irregular speech rate that can reduce clarity and organisation of spoken messages.

Social Communication

•  Pragmatic Language Disorder: Support for conversation skills, turn-taking, topic maintenance, inference, and interpreting non-verbal cues.

Swallowing & Feeding

• Dysphagia (Swallowing Disorders): Assessment and strategies to support safe swallowing and reduce aspiration risk (often alongside GP/ENT/medical teams when needed).

Hearing & Listening

• Hearing Impairments: Therapy to support listening, speech clarity, language development, and communication strategies in partnership with audiology where required.

Neurological Conditions

• Speech Therapy for Neurological Conditions: Communication and swallowing rehabilitation for stroke, TBI, Parkinson’s disease, MS, dementia and other neurological conditions.

Early Literacy & Phonological Awareness

• Phonological Awareness: Therapy targeting sound awareness skills that underpin reading/spelling (rhyming, blending, segmenting, manipulation).

Post-Surgical Head & Neck Rehab

• Post‑Surgical Rehabilitation for Laryngectomy and Head and Neck Cancer: Multidisciplinary support for communication, swallowing and function after surgery/treatment (in shared care with your treating team).

Australian Resources for Aphasia

For more information on aphasia and access to additional resources, here are some useful Australian websites:

Aphasia Centre – Information and support for individuals with aphasia and their families.
www.aphasia.org.au

Stroke Foundation Australia – Offers resources for stroke recovery, including aphasia treatment.
www.strokefoundation.org.au

Brain Injury Australia – Provides information and resources for individuals recovering from brain injuries, including those with aphasia.
www.braininjuryaustralia.org.au

Speech Pathology Australia – Find information on aphasia and locate qualified speech pathologists.
www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

Healthdirect Australia – A comprehensive health information service offering resources on aphasia and other language disorders.
www.healthdirect.gov.au

Important disclaimer: This webpage contains general information only and is not intended to be relied upon as personal clinical advice. While we aim to keep information accurate and up to date, it may not reflect the most current research or your individual circumstances. Palms Physiotherapy & Allied Health does not accept liability for decisions made based on this information without an individualised assessment by an appropriately qualified health professional. If you have concerns, please contact us to book an assessment or speak with your GP/medical team.