Louise Cummings provides a comprehensive introduction to speech and language therapy which will give SLT students an excellent starting point for a wide range of communication impairments.
The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists estimates that 2.5 million people in the UK have a communication disorder. Of this number, some 800,000 people have a disorder that is so severe that it is hard for anyone outside their immediate families to understand them. In Clinical Linguistics, Louise Cummings provides a comprehensive introduction to speech and language therapy which will give SLT students an excellent starting point for a wide range of communication impairments. In chapters that are dedicated to the discussion of individual communication disorders, Cummings argues that no treatment of this area can reasonably neglect an examination of the prevalence and causes of communication disorders. The assessment and treatment of these disorders by speech and language therapists are discussed at length.
Review
Clinical Linguistics by Louise Cummings is a monumental undertaking. Cummings covers the discipline, from child language and speech disorders to failed communication in adulthood. Further, she covers each of the disorders comprehensively as well, from its biology and its medical features to its epidemiology; from treatment to assessment. And it is all done with a sound and disciplined scholarship. This almost encyclopedic text is even-handed and fair, focusing on the disorders and the individuals who have them, rather than on professional opinions concerning effective treatment. It is truly breathtaking, in scope and in consistency of purpose. I really can’t think of anything like it.
— Audrey L. Holland, Regents’ Professor Emerita, University of Arizona
Louise Cummings’ book makes a significant contribution to the literature on the SLP’s role and the critical areas of her occupation. Practicing SLPs will find it a comprehensive reference, providing evidence on which to base clinical practice and many useful references for practical guidance.
— Leah R. Paltiel-Gedalyovich, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev LINGUIST list
An impressive undertaking, the book is comprehensive in scope and thorough in covering basic aspects of speech-language and swallowing disorders from childhood through adulthood using current research wherever possible. It is well written and well organized. It would be a valuable source of information for students learning about the professions of speech-language pathology and audiology. It would also be a useful reference for audiologists wishing to better understand communication difficulties and related issues that may be experienced by individuals with whom they are working.
— Ruth Stoeckel, Mayo Clinic International Journal of Audiology
Cummings, a reader at Nottingham Trent University, displays in her work an encyclopaedic knowledge of a wide range of difficulties. The work is impressive not only in its scope, but also in its style and clarity, and the book should be a reference for students, researchers, and clinicians working in the area of speech, language, and communication disorders. … Its main benefits are its wide definition of clinical linguistics, its recognition of the multidisciplinary of the field, its great clarity, and especially its wealth of information. It is bound to become one of the top ‘go to’ books on the shelves of students and clinicians alike.
— Jodi Tommerdahl International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders
About the Author
Louise Cummings is Senior Lecturer in Linguistics at the Nottingham Trent University