You may have heard the term “cognitive rehabilitation” and “speech language pathologist,” but how do they fit together?

Speech language pathologists, or SLP’s for short, are trained healthcare professionals with expertise in speech, language, swallowing, voice, and cognition. I like to explain to clients that our scope of practice is “from the neck up,” including the brain, which is responsible for cognitive functioning. 

Often when someone finds out that I am a speech therapist, the first thing that comes to their mind is teaching kids how to pronounce (or articulate) specific speech sounds. That is absolutely a part of pediatric speech therapy, but cognitive rehab is a whole other world! For example, when I am doing an evaluation with a new client with a concussion, I explain that speech therapists work on improving thinking skills such as memory and attention that are often affected by concussion, and I can see a light bulb going off in their heads. Oh, that’s why I’m here! Many people do not know that cognition is within the scope of speech therapists, so I try to explain this right away to new clients so they have a better understanding of my role in cognitive rehabilitation.

Thinking is such a complex yet automatic process for the “average” person. Every action we take involves some level of thinking. You likely engaged in many cognitive tasks earlier today- for example, planning how much time you needed to get ready before leaving your house, organizing items that your children need to take to school, attending to a conversation with a friend, following a recipe to cook dinner, or remembering to take your medications or vitamins. For clients with brain injuries or neurological disorders, these everyday tasks that they previously performed automatically have now become more challenging or more effortful. This can be very frustrating, especially because cognitive impairment is what is referred to as an “invisible injury.” An outsider can obviously see that a person has a broken leg, for example, but an outsider cannot directly see challenges such as difficulty focusing, forgetfulness, or disorganization. Although cognitive impairment is an invisible injury, it can affect someone’s day to day life just as much as a visible injury. 

This is where I come in as a speech language pathologist with expertise in cognitive communication disorders. Cognitive rehab is my passion and I love finding activities and key motivators for clients that we can connect to our speech therapy sessions. Maybe that’s going to their kids’ soccer games, having a date night with their significant other, going to the movies with friends, or volunteering at a local animal shelter. I provide a combination of thinking exercises and strategies or tools to maximize cognitive skills as they relate to clients’ daily lives and what matters most to them. Part of cognitive rehab is also optimizing overall brain wellness, as there are multiple factors that influence cognitive functioning. Examples include stress, sleep, exercise, and social interaction. A holistic and person-centered approach to cognitive rehabilitation is the best practice.