This text provides a foundation for understanding where speech-language pathology (SLP) programs fit within the school organization. SLPs will be motivated to collaborate with colleagues, lead ...discussions about the link between communication and learning, and introduce innovative models for delivering services. School Programs encourages SLPs to embrace their positions on school teams, share knowledge to make services educationally relevant and help children reach their highest potential.
•The Viking Speech Scale classifies the speech of children with cerebral palsy.•Parents and health professionals judge the Scale as valid and easy to use.•The Scale can be applied from direct ...observation of the child or using case notes.
Surveillance registers monitor the prevalence of cerebral palsy and the severity of resulting impairments across time and place. The motor disorders of cerebral palsy can affect children's speech production and limit their intelligibility. We describe the development of a scale to classify children's speech performance for use in cerebral palsy surveillance registers, and its reliability across raters and across time. Speech and language therapists, other healthcare professionals and parents classified the speech of 139 children with cerebral palsy (85 boys, 54 girls; mean age 6.03 years, SD 1.09) from observation and previous knowledge of the children. Another group of health professionals rated children's speech from information in their medical notes. With the exception of parents, raters reclassified children's speech at least four weeks after their initial classification. Raters were asked to rate how easy the scale was to use and how well the scale described the child's speech production using Likert scales. Inter-rater reliability was moderate to substantial (k>.58 for all comparisons). Test–retest reliability was substantial to almost perfect for all groups (k>.68). Over 74% of raters found the scale easy or very easy to use; 66% of parents and over 70% of health care professionals judged the scale to describe children's speech well or very well. We conclude that the Viking Speech Scale is a reliable tool to describe the speech performance of children with cerebral palsy, which can be applied through direct observation of children or through case note review.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Background
We explore the theoretical and methodological aspects of decolonising speech and language therapy (SLT) higher education in the United Kingdom. We begin by providing the background of the ...Rhodes Must Fall decolonisation movement and the engagement of South African SLTs in the decoloniality agenda. We then discuss the evolution of decoloniality in SLT, highlighting its focus on reimagining the relationships between participants, students, patients and the broader world.
Objective
The primary objective of this discussion is to fill a gap in professional literature regarding decoloniality in SLT education. While there is limited research in professional journals, social media platforms have witnessed discussions on decolonisation in SLT. This discussion aims to critically examine issues such as institutional racism, lack of belonging, inequitable services and limited diversity that currently affect the SLT profession, not just in the United Kingdom but globally.
Methods
The methods employed in this research involve the engagement of SLT academics in Critical conversations on decolonisation. These conversations draw on reflexivity and reflexive interpretation, allowing for a deeper understanding of the relationship between truth, reality, and the participants in SLT practice and education. The nature of these critical conversations is characterised by their chaotic, unscripted and fluid nature, which encourages the open discussion of sensitive topics related to race, gender, class and sexuality.
Discussion points
We present our reflections as academics who participated in the critical conversations. We explore the discomfort experienced by an academic when engaging with decolonisation, acknowledging white privilege, and the need to address fear and an imposter syndrome. The second reflection focuses on the experiences of white academics in grappling with their complicity in a system that perpetuates racism and inequality. It highlights the need for self‐reflection, acknowledging white privilege and working collaboratively with colleagues and students toward constructing a decolonised curriculum.
Finally, we emphasise that while action is crucial, this should not undermine the potential of dialogue to change attitudes and pave the way for practical implementation. The paper concludes by emphasising the importance of combining dialogue with action and the need for a nuanced understanding of the complexities involved in decolonising SLT education.
Conclusion
Overall, this paper provides a comprehensive overview of the background, objectives, methods and key reflections related to the decolonisation of SLT higher education in the United Kingdom. It highlights the challenges, discomfort and responsibilities faced by academics in addressing decoloniality and emphasizes the importance of ongoing critical conversations and collective action in effecting meaningful change.
WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS
What is already known on this subject
Prior to this paper, it was known that the decolonial turn in speech and language therapy (SLT) was a recent focus, building on a history of professional transformation in South Africa. However, there was limited literature on decoloniality in professional journals, with most discussions happening on social media platforms. This paper aims to contribute to the literature and provide a critical conversation on decolonising SLT education, via the United Kingdom.
What this paper adds to existing knowledge
This paper adds a critical conversation on decolonising SLT higher education. It explores theoretical and methodological aspects of decoloniality in the profession, addressing issues such as institutional racism, lack of sense of belonging, inequitable services and limited diversity. The paper highlights the discomfort experienced by academics in engaging with decolonisation and emphasizes the importance of reflection, collaboration and open dialogue for meaningful change. Notably we foreground deimperialisation (vs. decolonisation) as necessary for academics oriented in/with the Global North so that both processes enable each other. Deimperialisation is work that focuses the undoing of privilege exercised by academics in/with the Global North not only for localising their research and education agenda but checking their rite of passage into the lives of those in the Majority World.
What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?
The paper highlights the need for SLT practitioners and educators to critically examine their practices and curricula to ensure they are inclusive, decolonised and responsive to the diverse needs of communities. The discussions emphasise the importance of addressing institutional racism and promoting a sense of belonging for research participants, SLT students and patients. This paper offers insights and recommendations that can inform the development of more equitable and culturally responsive SLT services and education programmes.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Background
The purpose of this study is to report the economic outcomes of a new synchronous telepractice service providing speech pathology intervention to patients with head and neck cancer at ...nonmetropolitan facilities.
Methods
A multisite randomized controlled trial comparing standard care versus a new synchronous telepractice model was conducted within a large Australian public cancer service. Data pertaining to health service costs (staff wages, equipment, and patient travel reimbursement), patient +/‐ carer costs (travel and wages), and patient‐reported quality of life (Assessment of Quality of Life questionnaire 4D) were collected.
Results
Eighty‐two referrals (39 standard care and 43 synchronous telepractice care) were managed. The new telepractice service reported average cost savings of 12% (P < .0058) for the health service and $40.05 saving per patient per referral. An equivalent positive increase in quality of life (0.04) was reported for both groups.
Conclusion
The synchronous telepractice service provides cost efficiencies over standard care for providing remote specialist speech pathology head and neck cancer intervention.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
•Current rehabilitation practices are poorly defined in Dravet Syndrome.•This survey provides a comprehensive view of rehabilitation in Italy.•Speech therapy and neuropsychomotricity are prescribed ...for almost all children.•Many adolescents and adults discontinue rehabilitation despite significant morbidities.•Neurovisual training, Augmentative and Alternative Communication, and Occupational therapy are rarely used.
Dravet syndrome, a developmental and epileptic encephalopathy, manifests with varying degrees of cognitive and communication impairment, postural and movement disorders (such as ataxia, coordination issues, and crouch gait) and behavioural challenges (including attention deficit/hyperactivity, oppositional/defiant behaviour, and autistic traits). Rehabilitation is a valuable tool for most patients, typically prescribed to address the most pressing issues. However, current practices often fall short in proactively preventing and treating known challenges associated with the syndrome, as indicated by the latest literature, at different life stages. Furthermore, there is a notable lack of evidence regarding treatment types and efficacy specific to people with Dravet Syndrome.
Conducted in collaboration with one of the Italian Patient associations, this national survey provides a comprehensive view of the rehabilitation landscape in Dravet Syndrome, as perceived by caregivers. It outlines the types of treatments for 51 patients, based on age and relevant clinical features. The findings reveal a heterogenous rehabilitation approach, only partly tailored to the presence of specific comorbidities, and underline numerous unmet needs. Compared to the past there is indirect evidence that more patients are offered early rehabilitation. Nonetheless, while nowadays speech therapy and neuropsychomotor therapy are nearly universal for children up to the age of 10, some begin physiotherapy and psychotherapy thereafter, with a majority discontinuing treatments. Therefore, families of adolescent and adult patients often face a lack of comprehensive support, predominantly offered when epilepsy is more challenging to control affecting rehabilitation adherence and effectiveness. Finally, a negligible minority is offered treatments such as neurovisual training, augmentative and alternative communication, and occupational therapy. Many of these considerations could apply to other developmental and epileptic encephalopathy with lifelong disability. This survey calls for more data collection on this important topic for more efficient allocation of rehabilitation resources.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Children with communication difficulties need adult support to participate fully in recreational activities. However, when children with communication difficulties attend summer day camps, they often ...interact with young counsellors who are not sufficiently trained to provide an inclusive recreational experience for them. This clinical focus paper describes the social innovation perspective we took in responding to a request from a community-based recreational organization. It describes the coconstruction and evaluation of a training program for day-camp counsellors designed to equip them with strategies promoting communication in group settings for children with communication difficulties. The research team and a community partner collaborated with the recreational organization to develop the program. Two speech-language pathology interns designed the training materials under the supervision of speech-language pathologists and researchers and then delivered the training to over 250 day-camp counsellors in seven settings in June 2019. Trainees completed evaluation questionnaires and these were used to improve the training by adding details and putting emphasis on essential elements. The training materials are freely available by contacting the authors.
A Coursebook on Scientific and Professional Writing for Speech-Language Pathology, Sixth Edition is a unique interactive resource to help students develop the strong writing skills necessary for a ...successful clinical or academic career in speech-language pathology. The book not only describes the principles of good writing, but also contains numerous opportunities to practice writing skills replete with exemplars. The Coursebook is ideal for dedicated courses on scientific and/or professional writing, and can also be used in courses on assessment, research methods, and clinical methods and practicum.
The authors conduct a broad, cross-cultural review of the literature in fields such as psychology, education, speech-language pathology, early intervention, and library science concerned with board ...games and learning in young children. They include experimenter-developed and commercial board games and children's learning in mathematics, science, and language, as well as social, emotional, and cultural understanding. The authors discuss findings related to teaching and the classroom, speech-language therapy, intervention programs, and home and community settings such as libraries. Pointing to the nascent nature of the research in many areas, they highlight how board games, especially those featuring cooperative play, can foster multidomain learning and offer promising avenues for future research. Key words: board games; learning; play, playful learning; tabletop games; young children
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
Background
The critical role of phonetic transcription in the assessment, diagnosis and management of speech disorders is well established and thus pre‐registration degrees dedicate numerous hours to ...phonetic training. However, this training is not always fully used in clinical work and clinicians may find it difficult to maintain their skills, suggesting a ‘theory/practice gap’.
Aims
This paper surveys speech and language therapists’ (SLTs) views of their training, practice and maintenance of transcription in order to investigate the posited theory/practice gap and to explore how education in phonetics is translated into practice.
Methods & Procedures
A total of 759 SLTs from the UK were surveyed via an online questionnaire. Multiple‐choice questions were analysed using descriptive statistics, and free‐text comments were analysed thematically.
Outcomes & Results
Thirty‐five per cent of SLTs found learning phonetics quite easy, and 30% quite difficult. Respondents suggested that more time was needed to practise transcription in and out of the classroom; nevertheless, the majority felt at least equipped to undertake transcription after their training. A total of 75% of SLTs require transcription for their role, with 61% using it often or all the time. Some 45% use a mix of broad and narrow transcription, with 41% using only broad transcription. Those not using narrow transcription attributed this to lack of confidence. A total of 57% of SLTs did not feel supported to maintain transcription skills in the workplace, and 80% had never attended a refresher course in transcription, with 75% wishing to do so.
Conclusions & Implications
As many clinicians found it difficult to learn transcription, there is an opportunity to provide more transcription practice both in and beyond the classroom. Despite most clinicians feeling equipped to undertake transcription upon completion of their training, and a large majority requiring transcription for their role, a theory/practice gap is apparent in the relatively small number of clinicians using narrow transcription exclusively, and those not using it expressing lack of confidence in their skills. Additionally, as many clinicians have never attended refresher training in transcription, and rely on their course notes to maintain their skills, more provision of opportunities for revision should be made available. With clinicians remembering a need for more practice during their training, and expressing a desire for more training opportunities in practice, there is an opportunity for clinicians, educators and regulatory bodies to work together to provide packages of transcription training material that can be used by students and practitioners to maintain and extend their skills.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
For clinical methods courses in speech-language pathology, as well as for students entering their clinical practicum or preparing for certification and licensure, this textbook ncludes complete ...coverage of common disorder characteristics, treatment approaches, information on reporting techniques, and patient profiles across a wide range of child and adult client populations. It is also a beloved go-to resource for practicing clinicians who need a thorough guide to effective intervention approaches/strategies.
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