Pragmatics and Adult Language Disorders

To the best of my knowledge, this is the first foray of Seminars in Speech and Language (Adult Focus) into the development of an international program. Certainly, it is the case under my watch, where the emphasis has been decidedly North American. When I accepted this editorial role, I was encouraged to seek such collaboration, and here is the first such result.

I have never met Dr. Louise Cummings, but we have been in frequent e-mail contact. She has been wonderful to work with-knowledgeable, efficient, and certainly at the top of her game. This issue in clinical pragmatics was her idea, leaving me with the totally pleasurable role of saying yes, yes, yes, as her idea took form. I am very pleased that the authors of this issue are evenly divided among clinicians and scholars who reside in the United Kingdom and the United States. It serves to point out to us how important learning from our colleagues across the seas can be, and to have it graphically illustrated indicates that it is indeed a two-way ocean.

It would be redundant to provide an introduction to the one that Dr. Cummings has so eloquently provided, along with her rationale for why increasing our understanding is important to principled and relevant clinical practice with adults who have communication disorders. Be prepared, however; this journey will take us beyond the traditional aphasia, dementia, right hemisphere, and traumatic brain injury syndromes, expanding our interests to consider psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia as well.

This is an exciting issue, and I am pleased to be a part of it.