NCJ Number
208417
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 71 Issue: 12 Dated: December 2004 Pages: 20,22,24
Date Published
December 2004
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes the communication disorder aphasia, causing a person to experience total or partial loss of the ability to use or understand words and how law enforcement officers can identify and respond to a person with aphasia.
Abstract
Affecting about 1 out of every 275 people, law enforcement officers are more likely to come into contact with people with aphasia than people with other communication disorders, such as cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy. Aphasia is an acquired communication disorder that impairs a person’s ability to process language, but does not affect their intelligence. It affects an individual’s ability to speak and understand others. There are three types of aphasia: non-fluent aphasia, fluent aphasia, and global aphasia. Law enforcement contact with a person who has aphasia could develop in a number of situations, from normal interaction with citizens to traffic stops and crime scene investigations. This article presents tools to assist officers in identifying a person with aphasia. Officers can take steps to make encounters with persons who have aphasia less stressful and more productive. It is important that law enforcement understands the needs of people with aphasia to better assist them in times of crisis.