The Relationship Between Complex Semantic Processing and Verbal Intelligence in People with Acquired Brain Injury

In this brief report, we discuss the relationship between complex semantic processing and verbal intelligence following acquired brain injury. We define complex semantic processing and emphasize its crucial role in communicative success for individuals with cognitive communication disorders (CCDs). We address the challenges in assessing impairments of complex semantic processing without a valid estimation of an individual’s preonset intelligence. We focus on language-related aspects of intelligence and describe the factor model of intelligence outlined in the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory. The close interdisciplinary collaboration between speech-language pathology and clinical neuropsychology is essential to adequately address the interplay between complex semantics and intelligence in developing effective, participation-oriented assessments for people with CCDs.