How to use ChatGPT to help with aphasia
Use ChatGPT to help you write, practice, and recover.
Aphasia—a language disorder caused by brain injury, often from stroke—can make speaking, understanding, reading, or writing incredibly difficult. But artificial intelligence is opening up new avenues for recovery, support, and communication that were unimaginable just a few years ago.
Here are a few ways ChatGPT can help you with your aphasia recovery:
Smarter Speech and Language Therapy
AI-powered tools can deliver personalized language exercises, adjusting difficulty in real time based on the user’s progress. Some systems even use speech recognition trained on atypical speech patterns to give instant feedback and encouragement.
Tip: To try it, go to chatgpt.com and ask it to give feedback on your pronunciation, plus tips for how to improve.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
Apps like Broca AI Speech are using AI to autocomplete phrases, allowing someone with limited speech to participate in real-time conversations. Predictive text, voice generation, and adaptive phrase suggestions make communication faster and less frustrating.
Tip: Ask ChatGPT to polish an email, finish a thought, or write a text message for you, then copy and paste it into your email or text messages.
Personalized Progress Tracking
AI can analyze therapy usage and highlight trends—like plateaus or improvements—so caregivers and clinicians can fine-tune recovery plans. It’s like having a digital co-therapist always watching and learning.
Tip: Ask ChatGPT to create an aphasia recovery program for you, based on your own experience and progress. Example prompt:
Create an aphasia recovery curriculum for someone who had their stroke 3 years ago. Tailor it for Broca's aphasia, plus include word games and homework to make it fun.
ChatGPT’s response:
🗓️ 12-Week Broca’s Aphasia Recovery Curriculum
Focus: Expressive language, grammar, functional phrases
Stage: Chronic recovery (3 years post-stroke)
Style: Hybrid (SLP-guided + self-practice + family support + tech tools)
Schedule: 4 sessions/week (30–60 mins) + daily mini homework
📚 Weekly Breakdown + Word Games + Homework
Weeks 1–2: Building a Foundation
Goals: Reintroduce simple phrases; reduce frustration; get comfortable speaking.
Activities:
Phrase repetition: “I want...,” “I need...,” “Let’s go...”
Use Broca AI Speech to autocomplete during structured talk
Naming common objects with visual support
Games:
🧩 “Category Blitz”: Name 5 things in a category (fruits, clothes, etc.)
🎲 “Yes/No Showdown”: Ask silly yes/no questions to practice quick responses
Homework:
Daily mirror practice with 3 target phrases
Record 1 audio clip/day saying your name, mood, and a phrase (use phone or app)
Weeks 3–4: Naming and Word Retrieval
Goals: Expand word access; strengthen associations.
Activities:
Semantic feature analysis: describe before naming (“It’s red, sweet, round → apple”)
Word webs with caregiver
Word prediction tools (Broca AI Speech, Tactus Therapy)
Games:
🧠 “What’s the Word?”: One gives clues, the other guesses (like Taboo)
🔠 Letter Ladder: Say words that start with the same letter
Homework:
Picture naming journal (5/day)
Practice explaining an object to a friend/family member (with or without naming it)
Weeks 5–6: Sentence Building
Goals: Move from words to full ideas.
Activities:
SVO drills: “I eat apple,” “She drives car”
Sentence completion using AI phrase suggestions
Role-play routines: ordering coffee, greeting someone
Games:
🧩 “Sentence Scramble”: Reorder words to make sentences
🎭 “Act & Say”: Act out and say action words (“I cook,” “I brush teeth”)
Homework:
Make 3 daily SVO sentences using photos or daily activities
Use a sentence-building app (Tactus Therapy “Apraxia” or Broca AI)
Weeks 7–8: Functional Conversation
Goals: Strengthen real-life speech confidence.
Activities:
Practice phone greetings, weather talk, small talk phrases
Use AAC or AI assistant to participate in conversations
Simulated calls with caregiver
Games:
📞 “Call & Respond”: Scripted pretend calls with changing scenarios
💬 “Chat Bubbles”: Fill in missing parts of conversations with sticky notes
Homework:
Make 1 phone call per day (real or pretend)
Practice 3 functional phrases (repeat each 5 times)
Weeks 9–10: Storytelling
Goals: Rebuild longer expressive output.
Activities:
Tell a story from a photo (childhood, vacation, etc.)
Journaling with visual prompts + reading aloud
Use Broca AI to autocomplete longer ideas
Games:
📖 “Picture Prompt Pass”: Pass around a photo and add a sentence
🎲 “Story Cubes”: Roll dice with icons and create a story together
Homework:
Record 1 short story per week using phone or AI tool
Tell a story to family (they help when needed)
Weeks 11–12: Confidence & Progress
Goals: Celebrate growth, identify next goals, reinforce routine.
Activities:
Re-test language with baseline tools
“Teach-back” exercise: explain something you know
Group conversation with therapist/caregiver
Games:
🏆 “Then & Now”: Compare performance on same word game from Week 1
✍️ “Two Truths and a Lie”: Create and say short sentences—others guess
Homework:
Make a personal “phrasebook” for everyday life
Write a thank-you note or letter to self
🧠 Recommended Tools
Apps: Broca AI Speech, Tactus Therapy, SmallTalk Aphasia, Constant Therapy
Materials: Visual flashcards, dry erase board, sentence strips, storytelling dice
Caregiver Support: Teach “Supported Conversation for Adults with Aphasia” (SCA™ techniques)
Cognitive Engagement Through Games
Gamified AI therapy apps make practice feel less like work. From naming objects using computer vision to sentence-building challenges, these tools keep users engaged and challenged at just the right level.
Tip: Ask ChatGPT to come up with word games that help you practice your aphasia exercises at home.
Prompt example: Let’s play an aphasia game
Great! Let's plan a fun, structured game for someone with Broca’s aphasia that supports language recovery through expressive speech, word retrieval, and sentence formation—all in an engaging, low-pressure format.
🎯 Game Overview:
Name: Say & Play: Picture Story Builder
Type: Language + storytelling + visual support
Level: Ideal for moderate Broca’s aphasia
Players: 1–2 (can be solo or with caregiver/therapist)
Time: ~15–20 minutes
Goal: Build simple sentences and short stories using picture prompts
🧩 Materials Needed:
6–12 picture cards (photos of people, places, actions, or objects)
A sentence strip or board (with subject–verb–object slots)
Optional: Dice, timer, or Broca AI Speech app for autocomplete support
📝 How to Play:
Setup:
Shuffle the picture cards and lay them face down.
Set up the sentence strip board:
___+___+___(Subject – Verb – Object).
Step-by-Step Instructions:
🔹 Round 1: Simple Sentences
Player draws 3 cards (e.g., “man,” “eat,” “apple”).
Arrange them on the board to form a sentence: “Man eats apple.”
Player says the sentence aloud—use Broca AI Speech if needed for support or autocomplete.
Repeat for 3–5 rounds, changing up the cards.
🔹 Round 2: Build a Story
Draw 4 cards and place them in a row (e.g., “dog,” “run,” “park,” “child”).
Player builds a short 2–3 sentence story:
“The dog runs in the park. The child laughs. They play together.”Caregiver/therapist can support with gestures, cueing, or sentence starters.
🔹 Bonus Round: Guess & Act
One player picks a card and acts it out (e.g., “cook” or “sleep”).
The other guesses the action and says the matching sentence:
“You are cooking.” → “I cook dinner.”
🏆 How It Helps:
Reinforces subject-verb-object structure
Builds confidence with familiar vocabulary
Provides visual and contextual support
Encourages use of functional everyday phrases
Works with AAC tools or apps like Broca AI for support