@harleyshaw,

I so appreciate you sharing the journey that you and your wife are on with communication problems. You are in a difficult situation since there does not seem to be a diagnosis that will neatly fit your wife's problems. I'm sure you are being far more effective than you realize and I'm sure that if your wife could communicate with you, she would also be appreciative of your efforts.

Have any of the doctors and/or speech therapists recommended reading aloud? This is a technique I used after my surgery for a paralyzed vocal cord. It does make a difference. It can also stimulate cognitive processing.

Here is a link to some articles on the benefits of adults reading outload. You can see that it does help with memory in different ways.
https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=592660282&sxsrf=AM9HkKlgTjaFt5i9qRV0o_xBUwKOzJOFTQ:1703115552647&q=Reading+aloud+benefits+for+adults&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwizvpfsl5-DAxVSkyYFHWGCCrgQ1QJ6BAg_EAE&biw=1366&bih=599&dpr=1
If your wife was a reader, or had an interest in certain topics that might be a good place to start. Perhaps you can begin reading to her and then see if she would like to read after you stop. It could be just a sentence at a time to start and just see how it goes.

Singing can also be a way to bypass, so to speak, communication and cognitive difficulties. Prior to the pandemic, I was involved in a therapy choir. This choir was mainly composed of adults who had closed head injuries. However, there were some autistic individuals as well. I recall one autistic young man who would never say a word, but he could get up in front of an audience and sing one of his favorite songs from a Disney movie. We were all impressed with the ability of music to transcend communication barriers.

These are just some ideas that you might try and see if your wife is able to respond and/or at least, enjoy them. I would enjoy hearing from you again. You don't need to go through this alone, Connect is here to "listen" to your thoughts and feelings as you travel this road.

Will you post again?