Stroke and Aphasia Recovery
Individualized, evidence-based speech therapy to help you reconnect with your words, your people, and your life.
Language, Not Intelligence
Understanding Aphasia After a Stroke
Aphasia is a language disorder caused by damage to the brain, most often from a stroke. It can affect expressive language, meaning speaking and writing, and receptive language, meaning understanding and reading, but it says nothing about your intelligence.
Aphasia differs from dysarthria (weak or slurred speech muscles) and apraxia (trouble planning speech movements). Whatever form this communication disorder takes, our goal is to support your authentic voice, not fix or normalize it.
Every Communication Pattern
Types of Aphasia We Support
Aphasia is nonfluent (slow, effortful speech) or fluent (easy speech, unclear meaning). We find your pattern first, since Broca's and Wernicke's need different starting points.
Broca's
Slow, effortful speech, often just a few words, understanding intact
Wernicke's
Speech flows easily, but the words chosen miss the intended meaning
Global
Significant impact across all language skills
Anomic
Speech stays fluent and strong, but word-finding gaps show up often
Individualized Support Plans
How We Approach Stroke and Aphasia Recovery
Your plan starts with real assessment, then builds toward the conversations that matter most to your daily life.
- Review: We build a full picture of your communication strengths, needs, and daily goals
- Functional Goals: Progress measured by real conversations, not just clinical checklists
- Evidence-Based Methods: Approaches selected and matched to your specific aphasia type
- AAC Support: Tools and strategies to communicate when spoken words are hard to find
- Caregiver Training: Family and friends learn practical ways to support conversation
- Flexible Intensity: Session frequency paced to your energy and recovery stage
Local or Virtual
In-Home in Greater Vancouver, or Teletherapy Anywhere in BC
Stroke recovery can make travel exhausting. Aria brings therapy to your home across Greater Vancouver, or connects with you by video anywhere in BC.
In-Home in Greater Vancouver
Our clinicians come to you, in the home where your words and your life actually happen.
- No driving or waiting rooms when energy is already limited
- Practice real conversations in your own kitchen or living room
- Family members can join sessions and learn alongside you
- Serving Burnaby, Vancouver, Richmond, and New Westminster
Teletherapy Anywhere in BC
For anywhere else in BC, teletherapy brings the same individualized care to your screen
- No travel time, so more energy goes toward therapy
- Sessions fit around fatigue, appointments, and rest
- Secure video visits from wherever you feel comfortable
- Same clinician, same plan, wherever you are in BC
Funding Your Care
Paying for Aphasia Therapy: ICBC, WorkSafeBC, and Extended Health
Speech therapy after a stroke is a real cost to plan for. If your stroke followed a motor vehicle accident, ICBC may reimburse reasonable and necessary post-stroke aphasia therapy as part of an active claim, and WorkSafeBC may cover treatment tied to a workplace incident.
Both pathways typically require documentation from a physician or case manager, so raise speech therapy early in your claim. Many extended health plans also cover speech therapy for stroke patients. We recommend checking your specific policy before your first session.
The Long View
What Recovery Looks Like Over Time
Aphasia recovery is not a fixed window. Many people keep building communication skills years after their stroke, with the right ongoing support.
01
Assessment
We map your current communication skills across speaking, understanding, reading, and writing, then identify what matters most to you.
02
Early Therapy
Focused sessions target your specific type and severity of aphasia, building consistency through structured, repeated practice.
03
Building Momentum
Skills expand from single words into longer, more natural conversations across different everyday settings.
04
Maintenance
Chronic-stage therapy keeps hard-won skills active, since real progress can continue well past the first year.
05
Ongoing Support
We revisit and adjust your plan as your daily life, relationships, and communication goals continue to change.
Answers You Need
Frequently Asked Questions
Real questions from stroke survivors and families, answered plainly. Ask us anything else during your free consultation.
01 What's the difference between aphasia and dysarthria?
Aphasia affects language itself: finding words, forming sentences, and understanding speech. Dysarthria affects the muscles used to speak, causing slurred or slow speech with language intact.
02Can you still recover from aphasia years after a stroke?
Yes. Many people continue to build communication skills well beyond the first year, especially with consistent, individualized therapy in the chronic stage.
03Does teletherapy work as well as in-home therapy for aphasia?
Teletherapy can deliver the same individualized plan and clinician relationship as in-home visits, with the added benefit of no travel needed.
04What happens in a first aphasia therapy session?
We assess how a stroke has affected your speaking, understanding, reading, and writing, then talk through the communication goals that matter most to you.
05What is expressive aphasia?
Expressive aphasia describes difficulty producing spoken or written language: speech may be slow, effortful, or limited to a few words, though understanding can stay intact.
06 What is receptive aphasia?
Receptive aphasia describes difficulty understanding spoken or written language. Speech can sound fluent, but the words used may not match the intended meaning.
07Does ICBC or WorkSafeBC cover speech therapy after a stroke?
ICBC and WorkSafeBC may reimburse reasonable, necessary speech therapy tied to a car accident or workplace injury claim. Coverage depends on your specific case.
08Can family members help with aphasia recovery?
Yes. Communication partner training teaches family members practical strategies to support conversation, reducing frustration for everyone involved.
09What is AAC and when might someone need it?
AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) includes tools like picture boards or apps that support communication when spoken words are limited.
10Does aphasia affect intelligence?
No. Aphasia affects language, not intelligence or cognition. A person's thoughts and knowledge remain intact, even when words are hard to find or say.
Your Words Are Worth the Work
Individualized, in-home or virtual speech therapy across BC, ready when you are.