Planet Word Museum/ASHA Exhibit on Word-Finding and Aphasia

The Planet Word Museum in Washington, D.C. and ASHA collaborated on a new digital exhibit spotlighting word-finding problems and aphasia.

Through a touch- and voice-activated “beacon,” museum visitors learn how and why word-finding challenges occur, ranging from the “tip of the tongue” phenomenon many people experience occasionally, to more frequent word-finding problems experienced by people with aphasia.

Besides explaining aphasia and its impact, the beacon covers a variety of other ways people struggle to find words, how speech-language pathologists support people with their communication, and ways the public can help friends and loved ones experiencing difficulties. The beacon communicates through illustrative photos, videos, interactive experiences, and graphics designed for people of all ages.

The new word-finding beacon is located in the museum’s Words Matter gallery.

Planet Word prides itself on being the only museum in the country “dedicated to renewing and inspiring a love of words and language.” Visitors and reviewers alike have lauded the Museum ever since it opened in 2020.

Word-Finding and Aphasia Resources

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.-a). Aphasia. www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/aphasia/

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.-b). Aphasia (Practice Portal). www.asha.org/Practice-Portal/Clinical-Topics/Aphasia/

Brysbaert, M., Stevens, M., Mandera, P., & Keuleers, E. (2016). How many words do we know? Practical estimates of vocabulary size dependent on word definition, the degree of language input and the participant’s age. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1116. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01116

Deffler, S. A., Fox, C., Ogle, C. M., & Rubin, D. C. (2016). All my children: The roles of semantic category and phonetic similarity in the misnaming of familiar individuals. Memory & Cognition, 44(7), 989–999. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13421-016-0613-z

German, D. J. (2001). It’s on the tip of my tongue. Word-Finding Materials Inc.

Hickok, G. (2009). The functional neuroanatomy of language. Physics of Life Reviews, 6(3), 121–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plrev.2009.06.001

National Aphasia Association. (n. d.). https://www.aphasia.org/aphasia-definitions/

Schmitter-Edgecombe, M., Vesneski, M., & Jones, D. W. R. (2000). Aging and word-finding: A comparison of spontaneous and constrained naming tests. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 15(6), 479–493. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0887-6177(99)00039-6