COGNITIVE REHABILITATION: AN INTEGRATIVE NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH

Abstract

COGNITIVE REHABILITATION: AN INTEGRATIVE NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH By McKay Moore Sohlberg and Catherine A. Mateer 2001. Andover: Taylor and Francis Books Ltd Price £41.95. ISBN 1572306130 This is a good book. For those starting out in the field of cognitive rehabilitation, or long in the tooth clinicians looking to ensure their knowledge is up to date, Sohlberg and Mateer provide a comprehensive review of the state of the science of cognitive rehabilitation. For me, the best bit of the book is the very first chapter. Many introductory chapters to books are disappointingly devoid of real content and can be skipped. This is not the case in this book. Sohlberg and Mateer’s description of the major developments and issues in cognitive rehabilitation is one of the most effective summaries of the essentials of contemporary cognitive rehabilitation I have come across. Combined with the third chapter, which focuses on variables contributing to recovery, with a strong emphasis on developments in cognitive neuroscience, the introductory chapters provide a compelling blend of clinical realism with theoretically driven possibilities. The thirteen ‘Principles of Cognitive Rehabilitation’ that conclude Chapter 1 should probably be pinned above the desks of all rehabilitation clinicians and indeed could form the basis of an audit process for most cognitive rehabilitation programmes. The second chapter provides a straightforward, and probably necessary, summary of the major disorders that lead to cognitive impairments and the medical diagnostic techniques used to identify and quantify injury to the brain. For the new‐to‐the‐field student this is fine, though for the more experienced clinician I …