Adynamia: Apathy, loss of drive. The individual is no longer dynamic or energetic and may appear to lack motivation. Responses to others or to situations are dull. There is slowed mental function, a marked decrease in ideas, activity is rarely self-initiated (Osborn, 1998).

Autonomic processes: Involuntary bodily functions.

Broca’s area: Cortical area of the left frontal lobe of the brain responsible for detailing and coordinating the programming of speech movements (speech motor planning).

Central Nervous System (CNS): Portion of the nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord.

Closed Head Injury (CHI): Damage to the brain that is not accompanied by a penetrating injury (such as a bullet that pierces the skull). CHI usually causes diffuse damage to the brain.

Coaches: Tutors trained in the area of executive function.

Cognitive-communication impairment: “Communication difficulties associated with traumatic brain injuries that stem from deficits in cognitive processes that support language performance (e.g., memory, attention, organization, abstract reasoning, flexibility of thought)” (Hux, 2000).

Cortex: Outermost layer of the brain, made up of neuron cell bodies.

Disinhibition: A decrease in the ability to control impulsive behavior. Disinhibited individuals may speak and act without considering the consequences.

Executive function (EF): The ability to organize thoughts and work, to create plans and successfully execute them, to manage the administrative functions of one’s life. Individuals with impaired executive function may appear to live moment-to-moment, fail to monitor their activities or social interactions to make sure plans are carried out (or even made). With diminished ability to create strategies, to handle more than one task at a time, to be effective, reliable, and productive, the simplest job may be too challenging (Osborn, 1998).

Flooding: Overwhelmed by, or awash in, one’s emotions.

Frontal lobe: The frontal lobe is the largest of the lobes, making up one third of the cortex. This lobe predominates planning, initiation, and inhibition of voluntary motion, as well as executive cognitive function.

Frontal function: A synonym for executive function.

Lesion: A region of damaged tissue or a wound.

Metalinguistics: The use of language knowledge to make decisions about and to discuss processes of language.

Open Head Injury: Traumatic damage to the brain in which the skull is broken or penetrated as can happen with a bullet, knife, or blow from a sharp object. Damage from an open head injury is often more localized to the particular area of impact or the path of the internal wound. Specific deficits result without necessarily involving diffuse areas of the brain.

Post-Traumatic Amnesia (PTA): The inability to remember continuous, day-to-day experiences or events that occur after the injury to the brain. The duration of PTA is the best measure of injury severity. PTA may last from minutes to months.

Pragmatics: Aspect of language concerned with language use within a communication context. It includes rules that govern language functions (e.g., eye contact, greeting someone, asking questions, answering questions).

Presuppositional skills: Process of assuming which information a listener possesses or may need.

Rancho Los Amigos Scale of Cognitive Functioning: An eight- point or 10-point scale used for charcterizing survivor’s level of functioning.

Semantics: Aspect of language concerned with rules governing the meaning or content of words or grammatical units.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): “An insult to the brain, not of degenerative or congenital nature, caused by an external physical force that may produce diminished or altered state of consciousness, which results in an impairment of cognitive abilities or physical functioning” (Brain Injury Association, Inc.).

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