INTRO: A Guide to Communication Sciences and Disorders: null: 2025

With its engaging color layout and easy to read writing style, INTRO: A Guide to Communication Sciences and Disorders, Fourth Edition is designed for undergraduate students with an interest in entering the field of communication sciences and disorders. INTRO is an introduction to the professions of speech-language pathology and audiology and the underlying discipline on which they are based, communication sciences and disorders. The text provides essential information concerning a wide range of communication disorders found in children and adults.

The structure of the book is consistent across chapters to assist beginning students in grasping new vocabulary and concepts. An introduction to each of the various disorders includes some of the fascinating historical background surrounding each disorder, as well as current theories. A portion of each chapter is dedicated to diverse and cultural aspects of communication disorders, as well as prevalent information about various communication disorders as found in English-speaking countries around the world, including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and New Zealand.

New to the Fourth Edition

New chapters:

• A new chapter on autism spectrum disorder
• The original chapter covering neurogenic communication disorders has 
• been divided into separate chapters on neurogenic language disorders  
• and motor speech disorders
• Updated history section for each chapter profiling the diverse contributions from individuals to the field of communication sciences and disorders
• Updated the Cultural Considerations for each chapter
• Updated online ancillary resources, and new eFlashcards for students

Key Features

• Solo-authorship ensures a cohesive writing style throughout the book
• A strong international focus 
• Each chapter begins with learning objectives and ends with study questions to review key concepts
• Bolded key terms and a comprehensive glossary improve retention of the material
• The text includes real-life examples in the form of video links to help reinforce the information in the text
• Each chapter provides a focus on “past and present”
• FYI  boxes call out interesting and novel information
• Full color design and images to engage undergraduate students 

PluralPlus Online Ancillary Materials

• For instructors: PowerPoint Slides, Test Bank, Sample Course Syllabus
• For students: Practice Quizzes, eFlashcards, and Additional Web Resources

The text is also an essential text for speech-language pathology assistant (SLPA) courses. 

Michael P. Robb, PhD, received his BS degree in speech pathology and audiology from Western Michigan University, and MS and PhD degrees in speech-language pathology from Syracuse University. He has worked as a speech-language pathologist at the Meyer Children’s Rehabilitation Institute in Omaha, Nebraska (now known as the Munroe-Meyer Institute for Genetics and Rehabilitation). Since obtaining his PhD, he has held faculty posts at the University of Hawaii, the University of Connecticut, the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, and most recently at the Pennsylvania State University. His specialty is experimental phonetics, with particular interest in aspects of speech motor control related to early speech acquisition, stuttering, and English as a second language. Professor Robb has been an active researcher since 1985. Over his career, he has presented more than 100 conference papers and published over 100 refereed journal articles. He holds the Certificate of Clinical Competency in speech-language pathology from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and was recognized as an ASHA Fellow in 2009. He was a member of the New Zealand Speech-Language Therapists Association (NZSTA) and served on the NZSTA Executive Board. He is the editor-in-chief of Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica, which is the official publication of the International Association of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Professor Robb has been recognized for his teaching excellence and has taught “Intro” throughout his career to students in the United States and New Zealand.