Analyzing the Social Communication of People with Traumatic Brain Injury: The Benefits of Hindsight, Technology Advances, and Professor Audrey Holland's Wisdom.

Abstract

Professor Audrey Holland is best known for her extraordinary contributions to the field of aphasia rehabilitation; however, for those working in the field of cognitive-communication disorders (CCDs) following traumatic brain injury (TBI), Audrey made seminal contributions to the conceptualization of language disturbances following TBI, setting the scene for a new era of investigation and discovery. This article describes Audrey's contributions which redefined communication disorders following TBI as being different from aphasia, leading to discourse and everyday communication being the gold standard for CCD assessment. Incorporating Professor Holland's influences, this article describes the advances made during the past two decades including the theoretical development of frameworks to inform clinical assessment; expert consensus guidelines that support the assessment of the individual in activities relating to their family life, their friends, their work, and their relationships; the policy from an International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) perspective; advances in technology including the use of automated discourse measures; TBIBank; and main concept analysis. Professor Holland's profound impacts include the recognition that communication skills play a central role in maximizing all aspects of one's life.