The NAA has been providing helpful resources to people with aphasia and caregivers for 35 years. Whether it’s connecting you to speech therapy in your area through our affiliate directory or hosting online events so you can meet other people with aphasia, the NAA has had your back. To celebrate, we’ve pulled together a few lists of 35 tips to mark our 35 years.
This list gives you 35 ways to communicate more today. Try them all, again and again.
- Make up a simple question (even if you don’t have one) and ask a store employee to practice.
- Go to a restaurant and place an order.
- Make a plan to have a video call with an old friend.
- Write a letter to a family member — even if they live in your home with you.
- Ask for directions to a store inside the mall.
- Talk to characters on the television.
- Start a movie club — like a book club, but you discuss movies that you watch together or apart before the meeting.
- Read and listen to a book at the same time (print book + audiobook) to pick up more words.
- Talk to a librarian and ask them to help you find a book.
- Ask a friend for a recommendation.
- Put your grocery list in store order, thinking through each word.
- Attend one of our weekly groups.
- Go to a museum. Ask the docent to tell you about a piece of artwork.
- Start a blog and write one post per week.
- Go to a local support group.
- Play an interactive fiction game.
- Attend the June Aphasia Cafe (and make it a monthly habit!)
- Go on a walk and name every color you see.
- Sing along with a favorite song.
- Listen to NPR and talk to someone about a news story afterward.
- Start a bullet journal and write one sentence per day.
- Write one tweet (or Facebook post) per day.
- Host a game night for family or friends.
- Watch YouTube videos and leave a comment.
- Try a new recipe, reading through all of the steps.
- Watch a sporting event and talk about it with someone.
- Respond to a friend’s social media post.
- Go on a walk in your neighborhood with a friend and change the conversation topic every time you switch streets.
- Tell someone about aphasia and what you need to communicate easier.
- Tell someone how much they mean to you or thank them for something that happened recently.
- Read aloud or tell someone a story.
- Play the New York Times mini crossword puzzle or the Wordle.
- Narrate what you’re doing or talk to yourself in the mirror.
- Watch a movie or television show and hit pause at random times. Come up with a rhyming word to go with the last word you heard.
- Volunteer in your community and talk to people as you work.