Researching Communication Disorders

One in seven people will experience a communication disorder at some point in their lives. There is an urgent and ongoing need to understand more about the nature of communication disorders and their effects on the everyday lives of children and adults whose lives are affected by these difficulties, as well as those directly or indirectly affected as a family member, friend or professional. Research in this area seeks to develop an evidence base in relation to diagnosis, prognosis, intervention, clients' perspectives, and cost effectiveness. Researching Communication Disorders involves a range of disciplines including speech-language pathology, linguistics and psychology. This book provides an interdisciplinary description of the theoretical frameworks in the field of communication disorders and an overview of the main current methodological approaches. Numerous case examples from the published research literature provide the reader with an understanding of the practicalities of researching in this field. Additionally, the book provides the beginning researcher with examples of key areas in which further research is needed.