Communication.

The ability to communicate is a prerequisite for participation in many everyday activities. In fact, it is hard to imagine life without communication. It is necessary in order to establish and maintain interpersonal relationships, to raise children, to manage household business, to get appropriate health care services, and to take part in work or educational activities. When multiple sclerosis (MS) interferes with communication, it also restricts participation in life roles. As a result, many negative consequences arise, for example, loss of employment, social isolation, and difficulty pursuing services, including access to health care. After reading this chapter, you will be able to: 1. Recognize the communication problems that people with MS typically experience and how a speech-language pathologist (SLP) assesses them, 2. Explain how communication problems interact with other symptoms of MS and interfere with participation in everyday activities, 3. Describe intervention for communication disorders in MS, including reason for referral and approaches to treatment, 4. List suggestions for facilitating communication in MS, and 5. Identify areas in need of future research.