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.
