To assist a student with aphasia, which professional is most appropriate to consult?

• A. Paraprofessional
• B. Speech-language therapist
• C. Guidance counselor
• D. Board-certified behavior analyst

Answer: (B)

Aphasia is a language disorder that affects how a person speaks, understands, reads, and writes, usually resulting from brain injury or damage. The professional best equipped to evaluate and treat aphasia is a speech-language therapist (speech-language pathologist). They have specialized training to diagnose the type and severity of aphasia and to design targeted therapy to improve language abilities, teach communication strategies, and, if needed, introduce alternative/or augmentative communication methods. They also collaborate with family members and teachers to support communication across settings. Other professionals have important roles, but they focus on different areas: a paraprofessional provides added support under supervision; a guidance counselor addresses academic, social-emotional, or career planning needs; and a board-certified behavior analyst concentrates on behavior change, not the specialized treatment of language disorders.