Topic repetitiveness after traumatic brain injury: An emergent, jointly managed behaviour

Abstract

Topic repetitiveness is a common component of pragmatic impairment and a powerful contributor to social exclusion. Despite this, description, characterization and intervention remain underdeveloped. This article explores the nature of repetitiveness in traumatic brain injury (TBI). A case study of one individual after TBI provides the basis for a conceptualization of topic repetitiveness in terms of two major strands of thinking in pragmatics. Firstly, it is viewed as an emergent response to underlying deficits in non‐linguistic abilities. Secondly, it is described in terms of joint management of topic development between the person with TBI and his interlocutor.

• Topic repetitiveness
• traumatic brain injury
• emergence
• social cognition