Abstract
Communication disorders are highly prevalent and occur across the entire lifespan, but to date the majority of the literature on speech and language impairment has focused on the nature of the disorder, or on specific interventions, rather than investigating the impact the disorder has on the client and their family. In 2001, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF; WHO, 2001) with the aim of encouraging people to shift their focus from the nature of the disorder and its associated impairments and to think about the disorder in a wider context, including the impact on an individual’s level of activity and participation, their learning, and their relationships and social life. This book was put together to address the lack of current texts focusing on this area, and to investigate the impact that various impairments can have.
The book is well structured, consisting of 16 clear and informative chapters. Chapter 1 serves as an introduction to the book, highlighting the importance of documenting the wider impacts of communication disabilities. The remaining 15 chapters are split into two sections, which focus on the impact of communication disorders first in childhood and then in adulthood. Each chapter addresses a different communication disorder, including developmental language impairment, stuttering, deafness and aphasia.
Each disorder is summarized only briefly as numerous texts focusing wholly on the nature of the disorder already exist. A discussion of the impact of the disorder on the client and their family then follows, with frequent links to the ICF framework. Each chapter provides a useful exploration of the current evidence base, documenting the impacts of communication disorder on a variety of areas such as education and social well-being. A common theme throughout the book is the importance of supporting clients with their emotional well-being in order to help them fully engage with therapy and to maximize their long-term outcomes. The inclusion of case studies in some chapters provides additional insight for the reader and helps put the theory into context.
Each half of the book concludes with a chapter that is co-written by people with communication difficulties, offering the reader a personal view on the challenges of living with communication impairment. In the first of these chapters young people with communication difficulties discuss the support they have received, the impact of their impairment on school life and on socializing, and other continued challenges that they face. In the second, a woman with aphasia and her family provide a unique insight into how a communication difficulty can affect each individual member of the family and the overall family dynamic.
Having discussed the impact of the communication disorder, each chapter ends with either a short conclusion or a section on clinical implications. This section provides practical advice for intervention, briefly discussing important issues for consideration and suggesting areas for future research. The clinical implications discussed for practice with children and young people with communication needs include the importance of early identification and intervention, the need for continued support into secondary school, and the inclusion of family and carers in intervention.
In order for clinicians to plan interventions which are relevant and which will bring about meaningful change, they must understand the impact of communication disorders on their client’s life. This book provides professionals and students with a deeper insight into the possible impacts of a range of communication disorders on their client’s participation, social activity, emotional well-being and family life. Teachers and other professionals who work with children with communication disabilities may also benefit from reading this book in order to explore the impact that these disorders can have. A potential downside is that the book covers a range of disorders and therefore does not give a huge amount of detail about each one. If a reader wanted to find out about one disorder specifically they may wish to read additional material.
In summary, this book provides a focus on the impact that a range of communication difficulties can have on both children and adults and is one of the first academic texts to offer people with communication difficulties the chance to share their personal experiences. The book is clear and consistent in its layout, with a range of information about each type of communication disability. The particular strength of this book is its willingness to look at communication disorders from a different angle through its co-authored chapters and its inclusion of specific case studies. This brings the book to life and provides interesting insight into the impact of communication disability on an individual’s life.