Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology in South Africa: Reflections on Transformation in Professional Training and Practice Since the End of Apartheid

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (17) ◽  
pp. 30-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Moonsamy ◽  
Anniah Mupawose ◽  
Jaishika Seedat ◽  
Munyane Mophosho ◽  
Dhanashree Pillay
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
Language Pathology

scholarly journals How can speech-language therapists and audiologists enhance language and literacy outcomes in South Africa? (And why we urgently need to)

2011 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Harsha Kathard ◽  
Lebogang Ramma ◽  
Michelle Pascoe ◽  
Heila Jordaan ◽  
Sharon Moonsamy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
Implementation Challenges ◽  
Literacy Outcomes ◽  
Literacy Crisis ◽  
Systemic Factors ◽  
Language Pathology ◽  
Socially Responsive

Basic education in South Africa faces a crisis as learners fail to achieve the necessary outcomes in the related areas of language and literacy. The aims of this paper are twofold. Firstly, we aim to describe and discuss the education crisis by outlining the educational landscape, relevant policy imperatives and implementation challenges in post-apartheid education. The systemic factors contributing to the literacy crisis are emphasised. Secondly, we argue that speech language therapists and audiologists (SLTAs) have a role to play in supporting basic education in South Africa through developing language and literacy. It is suggested that the professions of speech-language pathology and audiology must be socially responsive and population-focused in order to make meaningful contributions to development in South Africa. The potential roles of SLTAs are discussed with suggestions for further actions required by the professions to enable a contextually relevant practice in a resource-constrained environment.

Secondary School Support Teachers’ Perception of Speech-language Pathology Services to Adolescents

2006 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-71
Author(s):  
Karen Hollands ◽  
Sandra McMahon ◽  
Christina E. van Kraayenord
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
School Support ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
Speech Language Pathologists ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Language Difficulties ◽  
Language Pathology ◽  
Need For Support

AbstractA survey was conducted to investigate secondary school support teachers’ perceptions of speech-language pathology services to students experiencing language difficulties. Information was sought regarding support teachers’ understanding of language disorder, their experience with students who have language difficulties and their involvement with speech-language pathologists with regard to these students. Support teachers’ views on supporting adolescents who are experiencing language difficulties were also sought as well as information regarding their satisfaction with speech-language pathology services to adolescents. Findings indicated variations in support teachers’ perceptions, including mixed views regarding how speech-language pathologists should offer assistance to students. The need for support teachers and speech-language pathologists to offer each other professional training was indicated.

Interprofessional Education for BSW Students: A Pilot Course

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-70
Author(s):  
Claire M. Edwards ◽  
Jason M. Newell
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Interprofessional Education ◽  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Allied Health ◽  
Training Programs ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
Professional Programs ◽  
Health Professional Training ◽  
Language Pathology

The focus on interprofessional education (IPE) for professional training programs in allied health professions such as social work has increased recently. There is limited pedagogical literature regarding either the instruction or application of IPE in any given profession. Based on a co-teaching model of instruction, this article delineates the preparation and integration process of a pilot course on IPE. The pilot course was taught at a small liberal arts college where it was cross-listed in two undergraduate professional programs in social work and speech-language pathology. This article discusses the relevance of including IPE in allied health professional training programs. Additionally, this article outlines the timeline for developing and implementing the course, from conceptualization to the integration phases including implications from student evaluations of their experience in the course. Elements of the course including delivery, descriptions of assignments, and projects also are discussed.

Academic, Clinical, and Educational Experiences of Self-Identified Fluency Specialists

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 16-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey A. Coalson ◽  
Courtney T. Byrd ◽  
Elizabeth Rives
Keyword(s):  
Professional Training ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Clinical Practicum ◽  
Fluency Disorders ◽  
Graduate Curriculum ◽  
Language Pathology

Purpose The purpose of the present study is to examine whether the academic, clinical, and fluency-related student experiences of professionals who self-identify as having specialized knowledge of fluency disorders differ from those who do not. Method An online survey was developed to identify the academic, clinical, and specific fluency-related experiences professionals had when they were undergraduate and graduate students. The survey was completed by 219 professionals within the field of speech-language pathology (122 self-identified specialists, 97 self-identified non-specialists). Results Considerable overlap was observed in training experiences of self-identified specialists and non-specialists. However, Chi-square analyses revealed a significantly greater proportion of self-identified specialists reported (a) completion of a dedicated course in fluency disorders during undergraduate and graduate curriculum, (b) interaction with five or more fluency clients during clinical practicum, and (c) exposure to specific fluency-related activities such as voluntary stuttering and attendance at a fluency-related support group. Conclusions Findings suggest that despite the degree of overlap between self-identified specialists' and non-specialists' pre-professional training, the quantity and quality of certain experiences may influence future decisions to focus more exclusively on working with persons who stutter.

Exposing Learners to Practice

2022 ◽  
pp. 346-365
Author(s):  
Jennifer Wade Shewmaker ◽  
Lynette Austin ◽  
M. Monica Garcia
Keyword(s):  
Training Program ◽  
Clinical Education ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Graduate Training ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
New Professionals ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Healthcare Crisis ◽  
Language Pathology

Clinical education is the center of professional preparation in healthcare fields, linking theoretical knowledge with clinical practice in the minds and behaviors of student clinicians. Clinical education, supervised by educators who are licensed professionals, is essential in the process of creating new professionals. What does a professional training program do about clinical education when the world shuts down? This chapter addresses the context of a private, not for profit university's response to the COVID-19 public healthcare crisis in spring of 2019 and the process by which a graduate training program in speech-language pathology re-organized, and re-visioned, clinical education in that context. The process allowed an upper cohort of students to graduate successfully and on time, engaged a lower cohort of brand-new clinicians in meaningful clinical learning, and taught the program new lessons about what is important in designing clinical education.

scholarly journals Coming to Critical Disability Studies: Critical Reflections on Disability in Health and Social Work Professions

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-53
Author(s):  
Madeline Burghardt ◽  
Tracy Edelist ◽  
Ann Fudge Schormans ◽  
Karen Yoshida
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Disability Studies ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Helping Professionals ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
Critical Disability Studies ◽  
Language Pathology ◽  
Critical Approaches ◽  
Professional Research ◽  
Professional Disciplines

This paper describes how four ‘helping’ professionals came to embrace and teach critical disability studies (CDS) perspectives rather than biomedical approaches to impairment and disability that traditionally inform those professions (occupational therapy, physiotherapy, social work, and speech-language pathology). Sharing examples from our experiences, we describe how we came to question the normative, ableist assumptions of our professional disciplines. We then briefly outline literature demonstrating how critical approaches have been incorporated into professional research and practice and discuss possible obstacles and tensions in adopting more widespread critical approaches into professional spaces. We conclude by suggesting that continued development of connections among scholars and activists within CDS, rehabilitation and social work, and the community, is necessary to ensure that intersectional critical perspectives in relation to disability become a core component of professional training programs.

scholarly journals The Impact of COVID-19 on Transformation in a Speech-Language Pathology University Program in South Africa

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Jaishika Seedat ◽  
Skye Nandi Adams ◽  
Kim Coutts ◽  
Kelly-Ann Kater ◽  
Jenna Sher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Student Diversity ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
Language Pathology ◽  
Typical Day ◽  
Small Department ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The far-reaching and extensive ramifications of COVID-19 from the impact on people, sectors, livelihoods, lifestyles, and typical day-to-day routines may only be fully realized over the next decade. Over and above the health sector, education was also hard hit. The harmful effects of the sudden cessation of synchronous learning for learners at every phase of education in South Africa remain perplexing and not yet fully understood. For students in their senior years of qualification in degrees at university, the ramifications of COVID-19 over 2020 have been especially significant given their certain entry into the work arena in 2021. Method This article highlights how the understanding of the full impact of COVID-19 in the university space cannot be separated from the struggles that have and continue to permeate higher education in South African universities since the fall of apartheid. Results The need for tangible data showing evidence of transformation within lecture spaces, teaching content, staff and student diversity, as well as access and belonging by students within the academic space, has been less than ideal. Thus, despite the writings in policy, evidence of real change at the ground level has been sparse. Although it is easy to nonchalantly overlook a small department, such as that of speech-language pathology, within the larger higher education sector in Johannesburg, South Africa, we showcase what we believe were gains in transformation in our department, until the somewhat rude appearance of COVID-19. Conclusion Despite a notable difference in the digital divide between students with and without access (financial, technological, and time), the promulgation for asynchronous online learning to ensure adherence to academic and clinical competency bode well for some, but not all, students.

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