INTRODUCTION: The risks of oropharyngeal dysphagia and cognitive-communicative disorders are elevated in individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe the relationship between oropharyngeal dysphagia rehabilitation and cognitive-communicative evolution in patients with TBI. METHOD: A retrospective cross-sectional clinical case study. The patient was a 26-year-old male Portuguese speaker with TBI confirmed by neuroimaging and resulting in cognitive disorders and oropharyngeal dysphagia. The evolution of swallowing rehabilitation and the ratio with cognitive aspects were analyzed through application before, during, and after speech therapy of the following scales: the Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability (MASA); Rancho los amigos (RLA); items of comprehension, expression, and memory Functional Assessment Measure (FIM) scale; and items of attention and swallowing Functional Assessment Measure (FAM) scale. RESULTS: It was verified that pre-speech therapy, the patient had severe oropharyngeal dysphagia with severe risk of aspiration; RLA III; FIM comprehension, 2; expression, 2; memory, 1; FAM attention, 1; and swallowing level, 1. During speech therapy, the patient had RLA V; FIM comprehension, 4; expression, 4; memory, 3; FAM attention, 3; and swallowing level, 4. After speech rehabilitation, the oropharyngeal dysphagia was mild; RLA VII; FIM comprehension, 6; expression, 6; memory, 6; FAM attention, 6; and swallowing level, 7. CONCLUSION: A simultaneous evolution of cognitive aspects and swallowing rehabilitation was verified in this patient with TBI. The results suggest that for a functional swallowing rehabilitation, we must consider an individual's cognitive-communicative skills and behavior in addition to the physiological aspects of swallowing.