Brain/Head Injury – Cognitive Communication Disorder
Cognitive-communication disorders are common after traumatic brain injury. The word ‘cognitive’ refers to ‘cognition’ which involves higher level processes our brains use to help us function in the world; for example, memory, attention and concentration, organization and planning, filtering out distractions, filtering what we say before we say it etc. ‘Communication’ refers to the way in which we convey meaning to one another and includes: reading, writing, listening, speaking, gesturing etc. Cognitive-communication therefore refers to how cognition and communication affect one another. For example, having a poor memory can make it difficult for you to be a good listener when someone tells you a story because you forget important details from the beginning of the story mid-way through. For another example, not being able to filter what you say before you say it can lead to bringing up embarrassing topics of conversation un-intentionally. These are cognitive-communication issues. The Speech Clinic’s speech-language pathologists can complete a cognitive-communication assessment to determine areas that are challenging. Using these results, our therapists will develop a functional and comprehensive treatment program with you and your family. Our SLP’s who work with this population all have over 5 years’ experience with brain injury treatment.