Survey of Communication Disorders

This introductory text explores the following disorder areas: language; articulation/phonology; adult disorders of speech and language; fluency; voice; hearing impairment; and deafness.

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"Survey of Communication Disorders" is a true introductory text in a discipline crowded with edited, multi-authored books that are often too detailed for basic level students. The text looks at the required concepts such as communication, language, speech, voice, etc, from the point of view of a specialist in communication disorders and then relates those concepts to the perspectives of other similar fields. The 17 chapters explore each disorder area - language, articulation/phonology, adult disorders of speech and language, fluency, voice, hearing impairment, and deafness, as well as covering special populations and professional preparation and practice. Six themes are used to explore each disorder area: normal development; causes and characteristics of related communication disorders; the educational, economic, social and cultural consequences; society's reaction to those with the disorder; the role of professionals and family members in helping those with communication disorders; and the moral, ethical and technological questions surrounding the various treatments of the disorders.