In this SIG 2 article series, participants explore various diagnostic speech-language pathology practices for people with neurogenic communication disorders. The first article uses an online survey to examine how speech-language pathologists (SLPs) assess the social communication environments of adolescents who have sustained traumatic brain injuries. The second article discusses the results of a survey regarding SLPs’ knowledge of functional speech disorders. Diagnostic criteria are discussed, and guidance is provided for clinicians and educators. The third article explores the use of the Western Aphasia Battery-Revised as a tool to aid in the differential diagnosis of acquired apraxia of speech, as it often co-occurs with aphasia. The fourth article is a preliminary study describing the use of a transcription-less rating scale as a screening tool for social communication impairment in people who have sustained traumatic brain injury.

Learning Outcomes
You will be able to:

• explain the importance of evaluating an adolescent’s social environment after acquired brain injury
• describe the positive clinical features from which to diagnose a functional speech disorder
• describe differentially diagnostic characteristics of AOS
• assess how a social communication screening tool can fit into clinical practice

Assessment Type
Self-assessment—Think about what you learned and report on the Completion Form how you will use your new knowledge.

Articles in This Course

1. Speech-Language Pathologists' Assessment Practices for Evaluating Adolescents' Social Competence After Acquired Brain Injury by Casey Keck, Libby Dart, Liza Shourds, and Songyao Chen, published in SIG 2, Volume 10, Issue 3, June 2025
2. Evaluating Speech-Language Pathologists' Knowledge of Functional Speech Disorders by Rene L. Utianski, published in SIG 2, Volume 9, Issue 6, December 2024
3. Utilization of Western Aphasia Battery–Revised Spoken Language Subtest Stimuli to Characterize Differentially Diagnostic Characteristics of Acquired Apraxia of Speech by Kate Nealon and Lisa Edmonds, published in SIG 2, Volume 9, Issue 5, October 2024
4. Developing a Social Communication Screener for Traumatic Brain Injury by Eleanor S. Birch and Brielle C. Stark, published in SIG 2, Volume 10, Issue 4, August 2025