The role of communication models in assessment and therapy of language disorders in aphasic adults

Abstract

This paper addresses the influence of pragmatic theory on management procedures for communicative disorders in adults with aphasia. We illustrate first the ecological construct and the limitations of functional views to pragmatically oriented methods for assessment and therapy of these disorders. Second, we discuss theoretical and practical limits in applying taxonomic model(s) of communicative competence derived from speech-act theory. However, experimental paradigms for studying language/context interaction in normal adults have been introduced in the study of communicative deficits in aphasic adults. Therefore, we discuss whether concepts from models of language/context interaction might be incorporated into management procedures. To do so, we illustrate how the application of a model of communicating in context, i.e., producing definite reference (Clark & Wilkes-Gibbs, 1986), can result in new assessment methods and treatment paradigms.