Speaking Clearly: Reviewing Aphasia From Assessment to Treatment: Assessment of Aphasia. O. Spreen and A. H. Risser. 2003. New York: Oxford University Press. 320 pp., $47.50. and Aphasia and its Therapy. A. Basso. 2003. New York: Oxford University Press. 317 pp., $47.50.

Abstract

Paul Broca's famous case reports of language impairment following left hemisphere lesions were issued in the 1860s. Since that time, much has been written about the assessment, typology, and neural underpinnings of aphasia. The two books we had the pleasure of reading and reviewing, Assessment of Aphasia and Aphasia and its Therapy, present well thought out and thorough reviews of aphasia literature, the first focusing on assessment issues, the latter focusing more on issues of and theoretical approaches to treatment. The books are united in their insistence that the field of aphasia research, from assessment to rehabilitation, be grounded in theory and a defensible conceptual model. This overarching theme presents itself throughout the entire corpus of both texts. Just as the clinician conducts a thorough assessment before initiating treatment, so too will this review begin with the book focused predominantly on aphasia assessment, before moving on to aphasia therapy.