Aphasia and Language: Theory to Practice

"The study of aphasia has been a lodestone for a great variety of intellectual and clinical disciplines. In fact, it could be argued that the study of acquired language disorders was the doorway into what have become the modern fields of cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology. This volume offers a remarkable assortment of chapters from many of the diverse scientists and clinicians who have concerned themselves with this increasingly complex and specialized topic. In one volume readers will find detailed presentations of up-to-date information on the clinical features, psycholinguistic analysis, and history of the study of aphasia. The chapters are well written and will have something to offer to both experts and students new to the area. This book will serve as a stand-alone textbook for courses on aphasia for physicians, speech pathologists, and neuropsychologists." --William Milberg, PhD, Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Brockton/West Roxbury VAMC, Brockton, MA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

"Simple clinical phenomenology does not illuminate the complexity of aphasia well--not for diagnosis, treatment, or fundamental understanding. Most texts that attempt to illuminate language disorders more brightly fail because of limited points of perspective. Here, however, the authors have worked together for years, and their comfort in relating their individual perspectives to a larger picture of language is evident throughout the text. Beginners in the field will find this book challenging but rewarding. Experienced aphasiologists will be stimulated by the density of intelligence to be found." --Michael P. Alexander, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA

"Across the disciplines of neurology, neuropsychology, speech pathology, and cognitive neuroscience, language function and dysfunction have long been an enduring and unifying topic of research. Yet even in this era of amazing technology applied to clinical problems in neuroscience, there is still so much to learn. Edited by three scientist-practitioners with a wealth of experience and background in this area, this text addresses such fundamental issues as the neural systems underlying language, how language is generated, and the neurologic and neuropathologic bases of aphasia and other disorders. Coherent, well-integrated chapters review theoretical and empirical foundations and explore practical applications in the behavioral-language domain."--Erin D. Bigler, PhD, ABPP, Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University

"This book is expansive in concept and realization. The authors have undertaken an important and largely ignored task--that of directly connecting theory to practice in relation to a variety of problems that comprise the spectrum of aphasia. For many scientists and clinicians, this book will be simply invaluable. It serves as a bridge linking theoretical aspects of aphasia in principled and helpful ways." --Audrey Holland, PhD, Department of Speech and Hearing Science, University of Arizona