Adolescent and Adult Language and Literacy

As Karen Fallon, who edited this issue of Seminars, points out in her preface, language and speech problems in adolescents and young adults are not nearly as well studied as are problems at the far ends of the age spectrum. Reading and writing disorders in adolescence and young adults are especially understudied. The goal of this issue is to provide a long overdue look into some of the literacy problems in this age group.

Reading these articles has provided me with a comprehensive look at a piece of my field far outside my comfort zone in language and aging. But it also provided me with a really important object lesson: Getting out of one's comfort zone is a great way to build your knowledge base! As I read these very informative articles, I probably should have kept count of the number of times I said to myself, “Hey, that would work with people whose reading and writing problems come from stroke” or “I'd like to try that with Mr. X.”

Not only is this volume a grand resource for those who work with adolescents and young adults, but it holds a wealth of ideas with a wide range of application. Enjoy!