Which term refers to the impairment of the ability to use and comprehend words due to brain injury?

The term that refers to the impairment of the ability to use and comprehend words due to brain injury is aphasia. Aphasia is a communication disorder that can affect an individual's ability to speak, understand speech, read, or write. It usually results from damage to the areas of the brain responsible for language, most commonly the left hemisphere. This condition can vary in severity and can manifest in different forms, depending on the specific area of the brain that is injured.

Understanding aphasia is crucial for practitioners in multi-sensory structured language education as it highlights the importance of tailoring language interventions to meet the unique needs of individuals with this impairment. This understanding facilitates the development of effective strategies to support communication and literacy for learners affected by aphasia.

The other terms provided, like lexicon, articulation, and phonology, pertain to aspects of language and speech but do not specifically denote an impairment due to brain injury. Lexicon refers to the vocabulary of a language, articulation involves the physical ability to produce speech sounds, and phonology relates to the sound systems of a language. While these components are important in the study of language, they do not encompass the broader impairment of language comprehension and use that defines aphasia.