Transcript
Hi, I'm Emma.
Today, I would
like to share with you
some tips
that I have found useful
in helping me
relearn to write
and read.
One of
the most difficult
devices
of aphasia
is the ability
to read and write.
I am fortunate
that I can still read
after my stroke.
But long passages
of text
are still very difficult
for me.
Reading a book
was something
that I used to love.
Now it is very hard
for me
to follow the story
and remembering
what line
I was on.
If the sentences
are long,
it is also hard
to understand
what they mean.
One of the best tips
I could offer
for people
who can
no longer read
is to get a subscription
to Audible.
I love to listen
to books now,
either in the car
when I am driving,
or using my AirPods.
When I try to read
a physical book,
I find that
it helps
if I use a small ruler
or a bookmark
to place under the line
I am reading.
By moving
that
as I read,
it makes it simpler
to manage the text
one line at a time.
I have had to build up
my ability
for reading
gradually.
Many times
I must reread sentences
to improve
comprehension.
It takes a lot
of practice.
Try to get some text
to speech tools.
For example,
ReadSpeaker.
For computer based
reading,
it is best to use
a large size font.
At least a 14.
Another challenge
for people with
aphasia is writing.
Lucky for me,
my stroke
affected
my right hand.
I am left handed,
So I am still able
to physically write.
Relearning
to write
with your less
dominant hand
takes a lot of practice.
Writing again
meant relearning
how to spell
and all about
grammar.
The most difficult
words for me
to spell
were the high
frequency words.
Like “a”,
“the”,
“it”,
“and”,
“to”,
“are”
and “is”.
I just seem to
have trouble
remembering them.
And it has taken
a lot of practice.
Sometimes I still
stumble over
these words.
One of the most useful
tips
my speech
pathologist
gave me was
to make a small
alphabet card
that I kept on my desk
when I was doing
any writing tasks.
I have learned to
sound the words out,
and the card helps me
find the letters I need.
Very often
I only need
the first two
or three letters
to begin with,
and then I can remember
the spelling
of the word.
After seven years,
writing text
is still something
I must work on.
If I ask Mum for help,
she will write
the beginning
letter in the air
with her finger
or say
“O for orange”
to help prompt me.
Writing text on my phone
or my computer
is easier
with predictive text.
On my phone
I use the audio tool
which converts
my voice
into text.
I would be lost
without my phone.
Relearning to read
and write takes
daily practice.
Practice, practice,
practice
and never give up.
