CORTLAND, N.Y. (WENY) -- June is National Aphasia Awareness Month, but many remain unaware of the neurological disorder that can come after a stroke of head injury.

According to the National Aphasia Association over two million Americans suffer from the effects of aphasia, however 84.5% of Americans say that they've never heard of the term aphasia. It's classified as a language disorder and includes the loss one's ability to understand or express speech. Signs of Aphasia may be present after a sudden stroke or brain injury, or it can happen over a slower period of time due to a brain tumor or disease.

Symptoms can range from difficulties in finding words to severe language impairments, impacting the ability to speak coherently. Language and speech therapy can help with aphasia treatment in order to retain communicative abilities and language skills.

"Stroke is the most common cause of aphasia, so healthy living, healthy diet, exercise. Reducing risk factors like smoking, as far as the aspect of brain injuries, I would say protecting your head, wearing helmets when riding bikes, motorcycles and just overall a healthy living style," said Michele Culkey, a speech language pathologist at Guthrie.

Despite aphasia being more common than Cerebral Palsy and Parkinson's, aphasia is mentioned nearly as much as it should outside of medical spaces. The disorder gained media attention after it was the cause of actor Bruce Willis's retirement in 2022.

"Aphasia happens to a lot of people, and when I meet patients that have aphasia for the first time, them and their family have no idea what it is," added Culkey.

An aphasia diagnosis can be made if a person's language delivery is significantly impacted to the point where communication is stunted through several avenues, including speech and written communication. The ability to express oneself is also impaired, impacting functional communication.