Although the concept of engagement is well known, and several disciplines concerned with social interaction have studied it extensively, surprisingly little direct work on this topic has been done by researchers in speech-language pathology. Yet in clinical encounters with individuals who have communication disorders, engagement in the clinical process and with the clinicians responsible for that process should be a basic theme. This issue will familiarize clinicians not only with the principles of clinical engagement but also with its value in our daily work.
Nina Simmons-Mackie and Dana Kovarsky, long leaders in our field but with additional expertise in engagement, provide a detailed introduction to the topic. Following this, Judith Duchan presents some tasty “food for thought” about its uses in our field. The articles that follow illustrate its application across a variety of the problems faced by clinicians who work with adults. These include aphasia (Simmons-Mackie and Damico), traumatic brain injury (Kovarsky et al), engagement in the treatment of dysphagia (Walsh and Leahy) and finally, an observational tool for assessing engagement (Mastergeorge).
This issue has been a pleasure to read and to edit. I am sure you will see its immediate and important relevance to your own work, as I have.
