Living successfully with aphasia: three variations on the theme

This article describes three individuals who live full and satisfying lives despite aphasia following stroke. The three were deliberately chosen to reflect different types and severities of aphasia and lengths of time post onset, as well as different prestroke lifestyles and circumstances. Commonalities as well as unique features of their successful adjustments are discussed. The article then compares them in a general way to a larger sample of individuals who live well with aphasia and contrasts them to another larger sample of individuals who have been less able to establish fulfilling lives following stroke and aphasia. Implications for counseling aphasic individuals and their families are discussed.