Abstract
This Introduction to Communication Sciences and Disorders (CS&D) is written by two professors; Gary Weismer, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA; and David K. Brown, Professor in the School of Audiology at Pacific University, USA. It has been written ‘for undergraduate students who are taking a first course in the discipline of CS&D’ and is organized ‘into three sections on Language, Speech and Hearing’. This introduction is divided into concise chapters covering paediatric and adult communication disorders. It is a useful introduction and reference book for students and newly qualified practitioners, providing an overview of key elements of study included in undergraduate and postgraduate Speech and Language Therapy & Sciences courses in the UK and further afield. The book is accompanied by registered access to a companion website for Students and Instructors [assumed ‘Lecturers’], at whom the book is also targeted. Student access provides clear Learning Objectives for each chapter; for example, the following Learning Objective in Chapter 1: ‘Explain what the term “Evidence-based practice” means and how it is related to different types of research evidence.’
The field of CS&Ds are put into a clear, historical context in Chapter 1 to establish the discipline, and stresses the importance of interdisciplinary working and evidence-based practices. Chapters provide introductions to the nervous system and the key structures and processes involved in language, speech and hearing; language science; and communication in a multicultural society, which precede chapters on the foundations of speech and language development prior to covering paediatric and adult language disorders. The authors clearly outline the ‘integrated nature of language, speech and hearing processes’ and that there is not a ‘fixed formula . . . used for the inclusion of clinical information’ within the book.
Each chapter is a succinct introduction to a key clinical area of CS&D. Chapter 7 ‘Paediatric Language Disorders I’ includes a section on the reviewer’s area of clinical specialism ‘Language Delay and Autism Spectrum Disorder’. As in other sections of the book, a brief summary of the disorder is explained, and key points from earlier parts of the book are referred to in order to ensure the reader is able to contextualize the disorder, e.g. the three major components of language are referred to from Chapter 3. Throughout the book references to key research articles are provided, which are neatly included to evidence the information provided. The authors have taken care to include recent references throughout the book. There are many from 2010 onwards balanced with key references from across earlier decades, which is a good feature alongside current ‘socio-cultural’ references about the disorders outlined, e.g. an explanation of ‘Neurotypical’ and ‘Neurodiverse’ within the autism community in Chapter 7. The book provides many usefully highlighted features, such as summaries of disorders, diagrams and photos to provide real-life examples of the disorders. As an example, the illustrations and patient transcriptions used to support the description of types of aphasia are particularly insightful.
The importance of ‘breadth’ rather than ‘depth’ of coverage is fairly highlighted by the authors, and should be considered when using this book. As an ‘introduction’ to CS&D it does exactly that, and is useful in providing clear and lively overviews of many relevant areas of language, speech and hearing disorders for those considering or studying a related graduate course. There are purposefully few sections on the interventions that would support the disorders outlined, aside from the specific section on aural rehabilitation at the end of the book. The relevance for the target audience should be considered before using this book, as a greater depth of knowledge is taught during graduate courses and is required for clinical practice making it potentially insufficient to refer to for those at that point in their communication sciences career. Other target users considered to make use of this book could be those returning to practice, practice educators or for other professionals to gain an insight into the relevant communication disorders experienced by their clients from an inter- and multi-disciplinary perspective.
Overall this book provides a succinct overview of CS&Ds, which is well presented and contextualised to provide a holistic insight into each area. It’s reach is potentially limited by it’s breadth rather than depth of knowledge in being a useful source book for recent graduates.