Communication is the use of listening, speaking, reading, writing and gesturing to either understand an idea or to express a thought. Communication skills are controlled by different sections of the brain. Speech skills are different from language skills. Speech is the production of sounds that make up words and sentences.
Language refers to the use of words and sentences to convey ideas.
Brain injury can affect the areas of the brain responsible foe producing speech, understanding what is said, or using words to formulate sentences and convey ideas. Cognitive-communication skills are used to learn and function appropriately in social situations. It is often the inability to use appropriate language skills in learning and social environments that interferes with successful interactions. These inappropriate language-based responses sometimes lead to loss of friends or poor interactions at school and in the workplace. A person may have no ability to speak.