EDITORIAL CONVIDADO
II Congresso Brasileiro de Fonoaudiologia e Genética dos Distúrbios da Comunicação, 2008, Fortaleza - CE
Antonio Richieri-Costa
Universidade de São Paulo - Bauru
For several instances we have compared the study of communication disorders with the Indian parable of the "Seven blind men and an elephant", very useful as an alert in health services since it works as an example of how reality can be seen (taken) under different perspectives e that in many situations what could be taken as an absolute truth actually represents a relative one due to the differences existing in the interpretation of the facts. We have seemed so many conceptual divergences in the approach of the communication disorders, a widely known heterogeneous condition; no matter the angle we approach it. In communication disorders not always etiological mechanisms are clear, nor the limits existing between superimposed different clinical conditions. It is not unusual to be necessary a variable time of follow up to confirm a definitive diagnosis, so, not always the first diagnostic "label" is the definitive. Communication disorders can be seem within a "quasi continuum" spectrum, ranging from conditions very close to normality to severe communication disorders, that in some instances can be wrongly defined with the same eponym, and we kept as the blind men without to know if we are handling an elephant and its different parts or handling any other animal. This is the greatest challenge for those researchers involved in the study of communication disorders, both in clinical grounds as well as in laboratorial research. It is urgent to determine common denominators that could be understood no matter where and no matter whom are the researchers, from elementary school classes to large research centers within Universities. The solution seems to be reachable through the elaboration of multidisciplinary task-force groups representing different schools of thought existing inside the Universities to broadly discuss the overall concepts in communication disorders. It is mandatory to left behind prejudices, intolerances and conceptual inflexibilities, and to have open ideas to receive the new concepts and scientific advances. Main goals of the multidisciplinary team-works should be the search for the direction to the organization of efficient and agile system for dialogue and diagnosis between different researchers, to develop consensual clinical definitions, rules, and directives toward the ideal management of the communication disorders, to generate realist research topics in direction to the elucidation of the etiopathogenetic basis of the communication disorders resulting in useful responses to the patients and health services in general.
Recently, during the "II Congresso Brasileiro de Fonoaudiologia e Genética dos Distúrbios da Comunicação" Fortaleza - CE., Brazil, a team of multidisciplinary researchers presented an exciting meeting where they reinforced the necessity to develop multidisciplinary task-forces, and the necessity to establish collaborative programs between different national and international centers. More and more the interfaces between genetics and speech pathology have been showed a fruitful way in developing researches, however, the resistance of some editorial boards to analyze papers from this area still remains unchangeable. Urge that other professionals from different areas of communication disorders start to organize this type of meeting calling attention of governmental agencies and departments in sense to provide support and funding to the study of these challenging human disorder. It should be viewed as a paramount point mainly in the young population facing scholar problems where environment and genetics play a significant role and differential diagnosis is crucial.
Antonio Richieri-Costa
Agradecimentos especiais: Renata Haguete (Fonoaudióloga do Hospital Infantil Albert Sabin e Professora da Unifor); Doutora Erlane Ribeiro (Geneticista do Hospital Infantil Albert Sabin - HIAS/CE); Associação Cearense de Doenças Genéticas (ACDG); e a todos organizadores.
Publication Dates
-
Publication in this collection
23 Dec 2008 -
Date of issue
Dec 2008
