This page contains resources on Cognitive Communication Disorders. An overview about what Cognitive Communication Disorders are and their causes is also available in addition to clinical level guidance
You may also wish to review our guidance on Acquired Brain Injury
Last updated: June 2026
Back to Cognitive Communication Disorders
The RCSLT develops guidance to promote good clinical and
professional practice in line with HCPC standards.
Please read our statement on guidance to understand how it is developed and how to use it.
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The RCSLT develops guidance to promote good clinical and
professional practice in line with HCPC standards.
Please read our statement on guidance to understand how it is developed and how to use it.
Clinical recommendations
- Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Communication and Swallowing in Children Diagnosed with Childhood Brain Tumor or Leukemia (Docking et al, 2025) provides recommendations to guide the management of communication and swallowing disorders in children with brain tumour and leukaemia, up to the end of adolescence.
- Cognitive–Communication Evidence Application for SLTs (CCEAS-Map) (MacDonald and Shumway, 2023) is a map of 148 clinical practice recommendations, synthesised from 129 reviews and guidelines, which can be used to guide SLT cognitive–communication practice across all severities of acquired brain injury and all stages of the rehabilitation pathway.
- Evidence- and Consensus-Based Guidelines for the Management of Communication and Swallowing Disorders following Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury (Mei et al, 2018) provides five evidence-based and 25 consensus-based recommendations to guide the management of communication and swallowing disorders in children during the first year of recovery from a TBI.
- INCOG 2.0 Guidelines for Cognitive-Communication and Social Cognition Disorders (Togher et al, 2023) provides nine recommendations for the management of cognitive communication disorders and social cognition.
- Social Communication Implementable and Applicable Lens (SoCIAL) (Keegan et al, 2025) is a framework that provides clinically applicable recommendations that clinicians can feasibly implement in their assessment of social communication and cognitive communication disorders.
Clinical resources
- Adapted communication for individuals with brain injuries handout (MacDonald, 2019) can be provided to educate everyday and professional communication partners, particularly those who are not able to commit to structured training programs.
- Cognitive-Communication Checklist for Acquired Brain Injury (CCCABI) (MacDonald, 2021) can help individuals with brain injuries access necessary rehabilitation services.
- His Majesties Court and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) intermediary service can be used by SLTs to help advocate for a ‘communication intermediary’ to be made available for individuals with a cognitive communication disorder who have to appear before the court.
- Model of Cognitive Communication Competence (MacDonald, 2017) comprises seven domains, seven competencies and 47 factors related to communication functioning and intervention. The model was designed to improve consistency with referrals, guide education, assessment and intervention and plan service needs.
- Practical Strategies to Optimize Cognitive-Communication Intervention in Complex Real-World Conditions: A Life Integration Approach (MacDonald, 2024) offers practical tools and strategies on how to implement the CCEAS-Map in clinical practice.
- Social Brain Toolkit includes three tools created by the ABI Communication Lab at The University of Sydney which aim to improve communication after acquired brain injury: Convers-ABI-lity; Social-ABI-lity; Interact-ABI-lity.
- Traumatic brain injury checklist (Waaland & Bohannon, 1992) is a screening checklist for cognitive-communication, emotional regulation, social cognition and other sensory-motor functions in students.
Charities
- Brainkind provides rehabilitation and support to people after brain injury. They offer training and tools to professionals, including prison staff.
- Brain Injury Matters provides support and advocacy services to children, young adults and adults living with an acquired brain injury as well as their families. Their website includes information about the impact of ABI on communication under ‘Impact of ABI’.
- Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland offers support services, including peer support groups, to people with stroke and long COVID, amongst other conditions.
- Headway is a charity for people with injury. Their website includes some resources for professionals.
- The MND Association (MNDA) and MND Scotland offer information and support to people with MND. The MNDA’s guide on changes to thinking and behaviour with MND provides information for people with or affected by MND about how changes to thinking and behaviour can impact communication.
- MS Society, a charity for people with multiple sclerosis, offers information on causes of speech problems, including those due to cognitive impairment, and on managing speech problems.
- Northern Ireland Chest, Heart and Stroke offers care and prevention services.
- Parkinson’s UK is a charity for people with Parkinson’s disease. They offer a wide range of services including signposting to local support groups and information about communication problems including symptoms of cognitive communication disorder.
- Stroke Association is a charity for people who have experienced a stroke. They offer a number of services including support groups. They also have a range of downloadable resources including communication problems after stroke.
- The Children’s Trust brain injury hub contains information for children and families affected by paediatric brain injury and the professionals working with them.
- United Kingdom Acquired Brain Injury Forum has a number of initiatives pertinent to children and young people with a brain injury including The National ABI in Education and Learning Syndicate (N-ABLES) and ABI Return, a guide for professionals to help children and young people return to education. Their primary role is to raise awareness of ABI and lobby on behalf of people with ABI.
