[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default”][vc_column_text]When a person suffers from genetic dysphasia, it can be difficult to work and to engage in other learning tasks that require a clear understanding of and ability of speech patterns and grammar. Genetic dysphasia is one type of dysphasia, or disorder that affects a person’s ability to speak and to understand words when they are spoken. For someone suffering from genetic dysphasia, home healthcare services may be beneficial. In particular, as a person with genetic dysphasia ages, she or he may need assistance performing certain tasks and communicating with healthcare workers in a particular way. Through United Energy Workers Healthcare and Four Corners Health Care, home health services may be available to EEOICPA/RECA beneficiaries at no cost.
If you or someone you love suffers from genetic dysphasia, it is important to learn more about this disorder and how health services at home may be able to benefit you.
What is Dysphasia?
To understand how genetic dysphasia is defined, it is important to learn more about dysphasia in general. According to Healthline, dysphasia is “a condition that affects your ability to produce and understand spoken language.” At its most basic, dysphasia in general is a type of language disorder. As Healthline further clarifies, dysphasia arises when the areas of the brain responsible for turning thoughts into spoken language cannot work properly. As a result, people who have almost any type of dysphasia will struggle with verbal communication—both understanding verbal communication and responding to it orally.
In some people, dysphasia also may result in other impairments and disabilities, such as gesturing impairments, as well as problems with reading and writing abilities.
Understanding More About Genetic Dysphasia
Researchers and physicians have varied responses when it comes to genetic dysphasia. According to the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD) through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), familial cases of dysphasia, often described as genetic dysphasia, may occur. As GARD explains, “familial cases of developmental dysphasia have been described.” In these situations, GARD clarifies, “the condition is inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion.” For people with genetic developmental dysphasia, the condition typically begins in childhood and persists throughout the person’s life.
Indeed, other researchers have discussed the ways in which genetic dysphasia can have long-term consequences for a person’s life. For instance, an article by Frederick J. Newmeyer in the Journal of Linguistics suggests that genetic dysphasia can have substantial effects on a person’s cognitive systems that relate to language and grammar, and can impact a person’s ability to learn and to speak a language. A related journal article by Newmeyer (1997) reprinted in the PsycINFO Database confirms that some cases of dysphasia result from an impairment in the ability to construct productive rules in their grammar. That article goes on to explain that genetic dysphasia is associated with certain genetic factors that can affect the development of the brain in utero and ultimately affect the adult brain structure.
In other words, genetic dysphasia can begin to affect a person at birth, but the consequences for that person’s ability to speak and to communicate orally—and oftentimes in written form, as well—is limited.
Distinguishing Between Genetic Dysphasia and Other Conditions
It is important to understand that genetic dysphasia can be confused with other disorders, including those that are both inherited and not inherited.
According to GARD, symptoms that can be confused for those associated with dysphasia can include but are not limited to those associated with:
- Sensorimotor impairments;
- Intellectual disabilities;
- Autism spectrum disabilities; and
- Developmental impairments.
While most people with genetic dysphasia will have been diagnosed by the time they reach adulthood, it is nonetheless important to point out that a correct diagnosis is essential for proper treatment and care. Genetic dysphasia ultimately can limit a patient’s ability to communicate about his or her healthcare needs, and it is important for a healthcare provider to understand the full extent of the patient’s situation and needs.
Consider Home Healthcare Services
Genetic dysphasia is a disorder that affects a person’s ability to communicate. For a person already struggling with other health care issues, genetic dysphasia can be debilitating and can make it more difficult to obtain necessary health care. If you suffer from genetic dysphasia, or if a family member is grappling with the effects of this condition and struggling at home, you should consider how home health services may be able to help. The team at United Energy Workers Healthcare may be able to provide necessary assistance to patients with genetic dysphasia. Contact United Energy Workers Healthcare today to learn more about the services we can provide at no cost to EEOICPA and RECA beneficiaries.
Sources
Newmeyer, F.J. (1997). “Genetic Dysphasia and Linguistic Theory.” Journal of Neurolinguistics, Volume, 10, Issue 203, pp. 47-73. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0911-6044(97)00002-X[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]