Progressive non-fluent aphasia (PNFA) is a form of frontotemporal dementia which affects only a small percentage of those who have dementia. PNFA causes problems with the expression of language; consequently people who have PNFA may experience difficulties with;
- Producing speech, it can seem to be a great effort to produce a sentence
- Pronouncing words
- Grammar, for example using past instead of present tense
- Missing out words such as and, or, but and I from sentences
Further information about PNFA can be found here http://www.ftdtalk.org/ftd-factsheets/factsheet-6-what-is-progressive-nonfluent-aphasia/ This factsheet contains information about the nature of the difficulties that people experience as well as providing further information on;
- How it is diagnosed
- Progression
- Does it run in families
- Treatment
There is also a PPA support group in the UK; http://www.ucl.ac.uk/drc/support-groups/PPA-support-group The website for this group provides further information about PPA and also films some of the presentations from the support group meetings.