My Top 9 Book Recommendations for Medical SLPs

Dec 10

Written By Katie Brown, MA, CCC-SLP, CBIS

Are you a Med SLP Nerd like me? I love spending downtime reading new books to learn more and grow my clinical skills. I've even been known to take a textbook with me on vacation (reading on the beach, anyone?)! I recently went on a splurge and bought myself some new reads, so I wanted to compile a list of my top medical SLP textbooks for neurological communication disorders.

Gone are the days of the boring textbook that you feel you will never pick up again. I've only included my favorites that take the clinician in mind with easy-to-apply information!

Cognition

THE RIGHT HEMISPHERE AND DISORDERS OF COGNITION AND COMMUNICATION

By Margaret Lehman Blake

This book is everything you could ever ask for regarding Right Hemisphere Disorders! RHD is so misunderstood, but this book helps demystify the disorder. The chapters are laid out by specific deficits such as attention, memory, prosody, pragmatics, etc., and include assessment and treatment techniques. But not only that, Dr. Blake takes into account expert opinion in areas where the research on RHD treatment is sparse. Our field is continuously growing! There are plenty of gaps in the research. So, it is so important to take more than just research into account. I also love the use of “sidebars” to add additional context to chapter sections, share stories, and explain concepts using real-life examples.

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COGNITIVE REHABILITATION MANUAL

By Edmund Haskins & the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine

This manual is a clinician's dream for treating cognitive-communication! It is incredibly practical, even providing sample worksheets to use for various evidence-based techniques such as Goal-Plan-Do-Review, Chaining, Spaced Retrieval Training, and more! Sample goals are presented throughout with an additional tactical goal bank at the end of the book.

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TRANSFORMING COGNITIVE REHABILITATION

By McKay Moore Sohlberg, Justine Hamilton, & Lyn S. Turkstra

This is the 2022 update to Dr. Sohlberg & Dr. Turkstra’s amazing book, Optimizing Cognitive Rehabilitation. Their previous book was the most referenced book on my therapy shelf so I already know this one with updated research is going to be my new go to! The authors provide clear-cut ways to translate the research and evidence into clinical practice. Flipping through each chapter, you will see step-by-step instructions and procedures for everything from metacognitive strategic instruction to external memory aids. This should be a required text for any SLP working with brain injuries!

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Aphasia

NEUROGENIC COMMUNICATION DISORDERS AND THE LIFE PARTICIPATION APPROACH

By Audrey Holland & Roberta Elman

I want to start this off by first stating that Dr. Audrey Holland is one of my aphasia idols, and therefore, I would read anything published by her. Even if that wasn't the case, I am incredibly pleased that I purchased this book. I am all about person-centered care and life participation in my private practice. This book highlights the history and development of the Life Participation Approach to Aphasia (LPAA) and showcases just how important it is to our patient's outcomes and satisfaction. This book mingles well-known aphasiologists with up-and-coming trailblazers and delivers a fresh perspective for any clinician looking to learn more about life participation.

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APHASIA REHABILITATION: CLINICAL CHALLENGES

By Patrick Coppens & Janet Patterson

Have you ever felt like banging your head on your desk and yelling, “how in the world do I treat this?!” Then you should pick up a copy of this book! It is unique in that it focuses specifically on challenges that clinicians face when treating aphasia. The first part centers around tricky symptoms in aphasia such as perseveration, jargon aphasia, and even neurogenic stuttering! The second part discusses challenging treatment components including intensity of intervention, choosing appropriate therapy approaches, and patient motivation.

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MANUAL OF APHASIA AND APHASIA THERAPY - THIRD EDITION

By Nancy Helms-Estabrooks, Martin L. Albert, & Marjorie Nicholas

A great addition to any well-rounded aphasia textbook collection. This book covers a wide-range of evidence-based treatment interventions for aphasia. If you were to only purchase one aphasia book, this would be my recommendation. It’s definitely the most bang for your buck!

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Dementia

DEMENTIA: PERSON-CENTERED ASSESSMENT AND INTERVENTION - SECOND EDITION

By Ellen M. Hickey & Michelle S. Bourgeois

If you work in the medical setting, then you without a doubt see patients with dementia. This is the book you need for all information regarding assessment and treatment for this rapidly growing population. Not only does it tap into cognitive and communicative deficits, but swallowing and quality of life as well! If I were to teach a dementia course, this would be the textbook I recommend.

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MEMORY AND COMMUNICATION AIDS FOR PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA

By Michelle S. Bourgeois

This is the perfect companion to the traditional dementia textbook. The focus in this book is all about the use of memory and communication aids to increase independence, engagement, and participation! It also comes with 30+ downloadable resources. You will find plenty of real-life examples to inspire person-centered care with your next patient with dementia.

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PERSON-CENTERED MEMORY AND COMMUNICATION INTERVENTIONS FOR DEMENTIA

By Ellen Hickey & Natalie Douglas

This book is SO functional. I love every inch of it. It provides great evidence-based approaches and examples for intervention with dementia in the form of case studies. Definitely a must-have for SLPs working with dementia!

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BONUS Recommendations for Caregivers & Patients

BUT MY SPEECH IS FINE!

By Lauren Hermann

This is the book that you’ve wanted to have on hand every time someone has told you they didn’t need speech therapy. Lauren so beautifully shares the SLP scope of practice in easy-to-read, entertaining, and heartwarming stories. You’ll want everyone you know to read this book! I even have a small spotlight feature where I share the story of my grandpa, which you can read here.

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DEMENTIA CAREGIVER GUIDE

By Teepa Snow

I like to recommend this book to caregivers who are taking care of a loved one with dementia. It is very easy to understand and gives practical tips for each of the “GEMS” stages that are laid out in the book. It also focuses on person-centered care and Teepa’s Positive Approach to Care techniques. It is a book that can be used and re-read as their loved one transitions to needing more assistance and care.

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HEALING THE BROKEN BRAIN

By Dr. Mike Dow & David Dow with Megan Sutton

What I love about this book is the way it explains stroke and stroke recovery in an easy to follow format. There is a unique perspective brought to this book as the authors are a doctor, a pediatric stroke survivor, and an SLP. The book is laid out using “100 Questions” which are then answered by experts in the field. It touches on understanding stroke, therapy, and changes to life and relationships. You can’t go wrong when recommending this book to patients or their caregivers.

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* NOTE: These are affiliate links, by purchasing using this link, I will receive a small commission which helps support my business.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Katie Brown, MA, CCC-SLP,CBIS

Katie is the owner and founder of Neuro Speech Solutions. She is passionate about providing person-centered treatment to her clients in order to meet their life participation goals. Katie is dedicated to helping other SLPs provide functional therapy through affordable materials and education courses.

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