Management of Anomia

Abstract

Anomia is a complex, commonly occurring symptom of aphasia with different underlying causes. A number of behavioral approaches to rehabilitation of anomia have been described. Some are restitutive in nature and attempt to reactivate lexical-semantic or phonological representations to improve word retrieval. Others are intended to reorganize language functions by engaging alternative cognitive systems to mediate word retrieval or by exploiting residual abilities to circumvent the impairment. A better appreciation of the characteristics of an individual’s naming deficit may assist the clinician in selecting appropriate interventions for restitution or substitution of function in the management of this disorder.

Keywords:

• anomia
• aphasia
• language
• naming
• rehabilitation
• speech therapy
• word retrieval