SKILLS ADDRESSED
Communication
Valerio had been a man who took great pride in his role as a wonderful father and grandfather. For him, one of the most devastating losses he experienced after his brain injury was his inability to communicate effectively. It took hard work and a fair length of time, but he has overcome many of his difficulties and is once again enjoying lively debates about politics, and delighting his grandchildren with his stories and games.
As in Valerio's case, many individuals with a brain injury have difficulties:
- Listening, understanding and speaking.
- Reading and writing.
- Using social communication skills (such as humour).
- Using higher level cognitive-communication skills (for more information, see Cognition).
NRS's speech-language pathologists and rehabilitation coaches (working under the supervision of the speech language pathologist), and in some instances, occupational therapists, provide education and therapeutic support to clients and their families in the home, workplace and school. Examples of specific treatment techniques include:
- Reading and writing strategies, such as the SQ3R.
- Speech exercises.
- Word retrieval strategies.
- Social skills and communication groups.
- Practicing cognitive-communication skills in real world activities.
Team members who address communication skills include:
- Speech Language Pathologists
- Occupational Therapists
- Rehabilitation Coaches
All staff have at least three years experience working with individuals with brain injury (or they are closely supervised by a professional with that experience).
