Neurogenic Communication Disorders: Aphasia and Cognitive-communication Disorders

Sakina S. Drummond

Jan. 2006 · Charles C Thomas Publisher

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This text is the result of the author's research devoted to the understanding of the relationship between brain functions and communication, as well as years of teaching-learning and clinical experiences. It begins with a review of core concepts relating to the structures and interrelated functions of the brain. This information serves as the precursor to understanding the possible causes and nature of neurogenic communication disorders and related clinical issues. It also includes options for assessing the prevailing communication disorder and highlights the association between the etiologies and underlying neuropathology to overt communication symptoms; the rationale for their presentation is to foster essential critical thinking skills to derive at differential diagnosis and formulate a prognosis for recovery of the identified symptoms. The text selectively focuses on the description of language and cognitive-communication disorders secondary to brain lesions. It aims to guide students and professionals who diagnose, explain, and implement rehabilitation strategies for individuals with acquired neurogenic communication disorders. This objective is reflected in its elaboration of disrupted decoding and encoding of linguistic units such as symbols (words) representing semantics and morphology (meaningful units), and the rules (syntax and pragmatics) for using them during communication. The interconnectivity between language and cognition is stressed through establishing the influence of perceptual and cognitive functions on language/communication modalities of comprehension and production. Contributions from the fields of neuro- and psycholinguistics have been incorporated to help characterize and distinguish disorders such as aphasia, dementia, as well as traumatic brain injury and nondominant (right) hemisphere lesions. The text ends with the offering of diverse management and treatment options that strive to either restore or st