A Retrospective Look at the Ethnography of Communication Disorders

Authors

  • Dana Kovarsky Department of Communicative Disorders University of Rhode Island

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/jircd.v7i1.27511

Keywords:

communication impairment, ethnography of communication disorders, discourse

Abstract

This article takes a retrospective look at how the ethnography of communication disorders (ECD) has contributed to our understanding of communication disorders since its inception in the late 1980s. It is argued that ECD has enriched our understanding of the epistemological foundations of communication disorders, illuminated the interactional patterning of assessment and intervention, supported the development of alternate models of treatment, and led to the development of a new unit of analysis for representing the nature of communication disorders and the outcomes of our helping practices.

Author Biography

  • Dana Kovarsky, Department of Communicative Disorders University of Rhode Island

    Dr Dana Kovarsky is Professor and Chair of the Department of Communicative Disorders at the University of Rhode Island. As an ethnographer of communication disorders, his research interests have focused on the nature of clinical discourse and disorders in contexts relevant to assessment and intervention.

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Published

2016-06-21

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Kovarsky, D. (2016). A Retrospective Look at the Ethnography of Communication Disorders. Journal of Interactional Research in Communication Disorders, 7(1), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1558/jircd.v7i1.27511