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.

Telepractice in Speech-Language Pathology: The Evidence, the Challenges, and the Future

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Theodoros
Keyword(s):  
Mode Of Delivery ◽  
Communication Disorders ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Apraxia Of Speech ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
The Future ◽  
Language Pathology

This article provides a review of the evidence base for telepractice in speech-language pathology, the challenges that exist, and the future directions for this field. It describes the benefits of telepractice for clients and their families and outlines the evidence currently available to support the validity and reliability of this mode of delivery in the management of adult neurogenic communication disorders (aphasia, dysarthria, apraxia of speech); voice disorders; stuttering; dysphagia; laryngectomy; and articulation, language, and literacy disorders in children. The challenges facing telepractice in speech-language pathology and the future directions for this field are discussed. Telepractice is an emerging area of service delivery in speech-language pathology that is likely to become an integral part of mainstream practice in the future. In order to achieve this, it is imperative that the profession accelerates its program of research and clinical endeavor in this area.

Speech-Language Pathology and the Youth Offender: Epidemiological Overview and Roadmap for Future Speech-Language Pathology Research and Scope of Practice

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 324-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela C. Snow
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Scope Of Practice ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
Youth Justice ◽  
Literacy Interventions ◽  
School To Prison Pipeline ◽  
Language Pathology

Purpose This article is concerned with the growing body of international evidence indicating that adolescents in contact with the youth justice system are likely to have severely compromised oral language skills, receptively and expressively. A smaller, but persuasive, literature also points to poor literacy skills in this population. Language and literacy skills underpin academic, social, and vocational success ( C. Snow, 1983 ; P. C. Snow, 2016 ; Snowling & Hulme, 2012 ) and are central to the professional expertise of speech-language pathology as a profession ( P. C. Snow, 2016 ). Method In this article, I review the epidemiology of youth offending together with research evidence concerning the language and literacy skills of this population. I outline the major practice and research implications of these findings for speech-language pathology as a profession, considering the “school-to-prison pipeline” via key domains of early years' reading instruction, young people's passage through the justice system, restorative justice processes, and design and delivery of language and literacy interventions for young people on youth justice orders. Results Implications for speech-language pathology scope of practice and future research are outlined. Conclusions Speech-language pathology as a profession has a significant role to play in advocating for vulnerable young people at each point in the school-to-prison pipeline. This includes strengthening the evidence base concerning speech-language pathology language and literacy interventions and lobbying governments to fund speech-language pathology services to address the complex communication needs of this population, both on community-based and custodial orders.

scholarly journals Psychosocial Adversity in Early Childhood and Language and Literacy Skills in Adolescence: The Role of Speech-Language Pathology in Prevention, Policy, and Practice

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Pamela C. Snow
Keyword(s):  
Childhood Maltreatment ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Life Experience ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Prevention Policy ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Language Pathology ◽  
Psychosocial Adversity

Purpose This clinical focus article outlines key forms of childhood maltreatment (various types of abuse and neglect) and their co-occurrence with other developmental risk factors, such as parental poverty, living in crime-prone communities, and disrupted educational experiences, to focus on their implications for language and literacy skills in adolescence. Children exposed to psychosocial adversity early in life experience a range of poor outcomes in adolescence, relative to their typically developing peers, and language and literacy skills are particularly vulnerable skill sets in the face of this adversity. Conclusions The continuum from disrupted schooling to child protection and youth justice involvement is emphasized, and the expanding scope of practice for speech-language pathology at all stages of prevention, assessment, and intervention is outlined. Greater advocacy by speech-language pathologists is needed so that policy makers and practitioners in other service sectors have a better appreciation of the importance of language and literacy skills in early life.

Collaboration With Caregivers and Educators in the Dominican Republic: Promoting Children's Language and Literacy Development

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (17) ◽  
pp. 50-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra C. Jackson ◽  
Sheila Bridges-Bond ◽  
Jonise Cromartie ◽  
Elisha Blankson
Keyword(s):  
Dominican Republic ◽  
Literacy Development ◽  
Communication Disorders ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Clinical Experiences ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
Language Pathology ◽  
Language And Literacy Development ◽  
Collaborative Activities ◽  
Global Initiatives

This article describes the process of establishing collaborations with caregivers and educators of children in the Dominican Republic (DR) over a period of four years. The program's purpose was to collaborate with caregivers and educators in the DR to promote the language and literacy development of underserved children, while providing educational and clinical experiences for graduate students in communication disorders. We discuss the increase in global initiatives in speech-language pathology, collaborative service delivery, examples of collaborative activities and programs in international settings, and the authors' program in the DR.

scholarly journals Language and literacy outcomes from a pilot intervention study for children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in South Africa

Alcohol ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 403-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colleen M. Adnams ◽  
Pharyn Sorour ◽  
Wendy O. Kalberg ◽  
Piyadasa Kodituwakku ◽  
Mariechen D. Perold ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Intervention Study ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Fetal Alcohol ◽  
Literacy Outcomes ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Pilot Intervention ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum

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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