ABSTRACT
Information sheets and regular telephone contact may also support changes in communication and conversation. Total Communication refers to an approach, widely used at the aphasia centre, in which clients are encouraged to communicate in any way available to them. Clients need practice in using methods and modalities of communication that may, at first, seem alien. The therapist should also accept, reinforce and model non-speech contributions, promoting the idea that ‘anything goes’ so far as Total Communication is concerned. Therapy may aim to improve the client’s ability to attend and respond to the communication partner. Communication books come in a variety of forms, reflecting considerations such as vocabulary size, ease of modification, portability and personal preference. Therapies addressing communication have been transformed by advances in the theoretical understanding of conversation, and have been particularly influenced by the shift in focus from transaction to interaction.
