Finding the Words: Burke Helps People with Aphasia Recover What They've Lost
When 53-year-old Lawrence* began his recovery at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital following a stroke, his speech was limited to a few automatic phrases, such as “you know.” These few words were a frustrating echo of everything he wanted to say but couldn’t. Lawrence suffered from expressive aphasia, a condition that disrupted his ability to form language.
What he hadn’t lost was the desire to connect, to speak with his family, to ask questions at his doctor’s appointments, to be understood. Through the intensive speech therapy program at Burke Rehabilitation® —targeted therapy that, in his case, included naming exercises, repetition and structured conversation practice—Lawrence began to piece together short, meaningful sentences. Eventually, he recovered enough language to participate in family conversations again and advocate for himself at medical visits.
June is National Aphasia Awareness Month, which gives us a chance to spotlight stories like Lawrence’s. Aphasia is a communication disorder most commonly caused by stroke or brain injury and affects a person’s ability to speak, understand, read, or write. What the condition does not affect is intelligence. People with aphasia know what they want to say — they just can’t access the words.
“People with aphasia face communication barriers that can lead to social isolation, emotional and psychological challenges, loss of independence, and difficulty accessing services and advocating for themselves,” says Naomi Favreau, MS, Burke Senior Speech Language Pathologist. “Supporting people with aphasia means addressing not only language, but also social, emotional and practical needs.”
More than two million Americans live with aphasia, a number higher than those affected by Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, or muscular dystrophy. Yet awareness of aphasia remains low. Each year, approximately 180,000 people are newly diagnosed — many of them left to navigate a world that feels as if it no longer speaks their language.
Burke’s Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Program (ICAP), the only one of its kind in Westchester County, offers four hours of small-group aphasia therapy each day for four weeks. The program is immersive, supportive and results driven. The latest figures show that every participant has made clinical gains, with many achieving statistically significant improvements in language and quality of life. Beyond the data, these are people regaining their voices, their relationships, and their ability to participate in life.
After a brain injury left 60-year-old Daniel unable to speak or understand language (known as severe expressive and receptive aphasia), his Burke speech-language pathologist introduced augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools—first a low-tech picture board, then a speech-generating tablet—to help him express basic needs. That meant, at first, pointing to images like food, bathroom, or emotions. Then Daniel learned to navigate the high-tech tablet to say things like “I need help” or “I want to talk to my daughter.”
Therapy sessions focused on helping him build functional communication routines using the device, along with verbal practice for familiar words. Over time, he was able to participate in short conversations, order food at a restaurant, and interact with caregivers more independently.
Aphasia doesn’t just affect speech — it affects identity, relationships, emotional well-being, and independence. Something as simple as ordering coffee, reading the newspaper, or signing your name can become an overwhelming challenge. It is a deeply individual condition — and recovery must be equally individualized.
At Burke Rehabilitation Hospital, people with aphasia are met with empathy, evidence-based care, and the belief that they can — and will — improve. Whether through one-on-one therapy, group sessions, or the immersive ICAP model, Burke offers hope not just for better communication but for fuller, richer lives.
“Speech therapy doesn’t just treat aphasia,” says Naomi. “It helps people reclaim their voices, their relationships, and their sense of self.”
*Name changed
