A speech-language pathologist can diagnose aphasia with language testing. These exams cover speech, naming, repetition, understanding, reading, and writing. Making a diagnosis can also entail examining the brain with imaging techniques like:
- a CT scan. Using a CT scan and a computer, this imaging exam produces finely detailed bodily pictures. Organs, fat, muscles, and bones are all detailed in a CT scan. X-rays taken generally are not as detailed as CT scans.
- MRI. Using a computer, radio waves, and big magnets, this test creates finely detailed pictures of the body's organs and architecture.
- PET Scan: PET Scan is short for positron emission tomography. Using radioactive materials, this computer-based imaging method looks at bodily functions.