Many children and adults experience impairment of their communication skills. These communication disorders impact adversely on all aspects of these individuals' lives. In thirty dedicated chapters, The Cambridge Handbook of Communication Disorders examines the full range of developmental and acquired communication disorders and provides the most up-to-date and comprehensive guide to the epidemiology, aetiology and clinical features of these disorders. The volume also examines how these disorders are assessed and treated by speech and language therapists and addresses recent theoretical developments in the field. The handbook goes beyond well-known communication disorders to include populations such as children with emotional disturbance, adults with non-Alzheimer dementias and people with personality disorders. Each chapter describes in accessible terms the most recent thinking and research in communication disorders. The volume is an ideal guide for academic researchers, graduate students and professionals in speech and language therapy.

‘Dr Cummings has assembled a group of exceptionally well-qualified scholars to generate a volume in the tradition of earlier handbooks on communication disorders - one that brings it to theoretical and clinical modernity. It will become required reading for practising speech-language clinicians as well as researchers and educators within the discipline and across related disciplines such as psychology, linguistics and medicine. This handbook will be a frequently cited volume that summarizes the current state of knowledge in communication science and disorders. It also will serve as a stimulus for the enigmatic in our attempt to understand and manage the myriad impairments of our most complex cognitive function.’

Malcolm R. McNeil - University of Pittsburgh

‘The Cambridge Handbook of Communication Disorders will be a valuable resource. With its comprehensive yet accessible coverage of communication disorders and their management, this volume will provide an excellent introduction for students. However the volume will also enable clinicians and researchers to update or extend their knowledge in less familiar fields. The final section of the handbook (Part V) which explores the interface between communication disorders and theoretical models of communication and cognition is a particularly welcome addition to the field and provides a series [of] thoughtful debates on the state of the art in the areas of speech production, semantics, theory of mind and cognitive modularity.’

Lyndsey Nickels - Macquarie University

‘… an important reference guide, for the layperson and expert alike. It provides a useful and comprehensive overview of communication disorders and how they are best managed. Whilst progress has been made in recent years on understanding and treating communication disorders, there is still a long way to go. I am sure that this Handbook will be an integral part of this process.’

Rt Hon John Bercow MP - Speaker of the House of Commons and author of the Bercow Report (2008), a review of services for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs