Volume 15, Number 2, Summer 2020

COVID-19 and Neurological Outcomes: Implications for Speech-Language Pathologists in Rehabilitation Settings

AUTHOR(S):

• Charles Ellis, PhD, CCC-SLP, Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, Communication Equity and Outcomes Laboratory, East Carolina University, East Carolina University Center for Health Disparities, Greenville, NC, USA
• Rhiannon Phillips, MS, CCC-SLP, Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA

ABSTRACT

COVID-19 is caused by a novel coronavirus that has resulted in a disease condition that was initially thought to be primarily focused on the respiratory system in its most severe form. However, as the medical community has learned more about COVID-19, it has become clear that the disease is a multi-system condition with wide-ranging levels of severity from complete asymptomatic infection to death. Among those multi-system problems include the onset of neurological disorders that require specialized speech-language pathology services. Whereas there has been a primary focus on managing the respiratory ailments and infectious nature of COVID-19, there are atypical neurological aspects of the condition that will require specialized speech-language pathology services (SLP). Consequently, more must be learned about the onset of neurological disorders resulting from COVID-19 and potential future implications for the field of SLP.

DOI:

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