[Thato Minyuku]

My first child is now 5 months old. Personally, aphasia is one of my biggest challenges, as I had a stroke 8 years ago. I am keen on education and have already starting reading aloud to my son. I speak to him a lot just to encourage communication. On a daily level, I have to forgive myself because when aphasia kicks in, especially with fatigue, some of the words I utter to him are completely missaid and then I pause, correct, and then to my best ability say the correct words. Some of the words are comical, but nonetheless, are not my meaning or intention. I hope that my son will soon be able to figure out my errors in aphasia and focus on the correction at the end. To make it a little more complicated, his father’s first language is not English (which is mine). So often when aphasia kicks in, my husband does not know the difference.

Any views on what to do with a newborn healthy child and a mother with aphasia? I am concerned about the child’s ability to learn a language from me, his mother.

Topic

[Thobeka Marumo]

Young ones are amazing. I concur with Joyce, at this stage of there lives it’s more a bonding and Love they seek.

You reading out might actually be good for the whole family, creating a culture of reading. He will learn a lot from you and the world around him as he grows, you’ll be surprised.

Take care mummy and enjoy every milestone.

[Joyce Hoffman]

A mother’s love exceeds all. Just holding your baby and having those vibes between the two of you will mean most. Also, the baby may help you pronounce the words better over time because you are so  motivated. If you want to read a scholarly article, I found this among the best in your understanding aphasia and the timeline of your recovery: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3109088/

Let me know how you’re doing by writing to me at hcwriter@gmail.com Best wishes to your family!

• This reply was modified 54 years ago by .

[Author]

Replies