What is a Speech Pathologist?

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by Jess Gregg1 view·Updated May 18, 2022
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Welcome to this short video describing the role of a speech pathologist, in the context of four frameworks which underpin the profession. I hope you find it informative and enjoy it!

Audio TranscriptAuto-generated

  1. welcome.
  2. I am Jess and I'm here to talk about
  3. how a speech pathologist may support your preschool child.
  4. So what is a speech? E.
  5. A speech pathologist supports every person's
  6. right to optimal communication and swallowing,
  7. and working with kids is one specialist area.
  8. It can involve working with developmental delays,
  9. learning challenges or acquire difficulties which
  10. affect swallowing or areas of communication
  11. like speech, language, fluency,
  12. even reading and writing.
  13. You'll find us in various environments,
  14. including early education facilities like this preschool
  15. and regardless of where we are, a set of key frameworks underpin everything we do.
  16. So what are these frameworks?
  17. They are published Integrated Guidelines which guide
  18. best practise of speeches in Australia.
  19. The first is the Speech Pathology Australia Code of Ethics
  20. designed to support our everyday decision making and behaviour.
  21. The code of ethics helps us deliver an
  22. effective quality service and means your speech pathologist
  23. will have a duty of care to your child to provide therapy safely and effectively.
  24. They can uphold this fundamental framework by, for example,
  25. making sure they attend courses in the area of language development
  26. to maintain a high level of professional competence in this field,
  27. the three key areas of the code of
  28. ethics are ethical values which drive our behaviour
  29. ethical principles that guide our decisions
  30. and standards of ethical practise,
  31. which encompasses our all round ethical obligation to professional conduct.
  32. In reality,
  33. this means share decision making with regards to your child's intervention plan,
  34. each of your concerns being heard
  35. and your therapist making a genuine effort to
  36. understand your unique cultural and family needs.
  37. This leads us to the next framework.
  38. The professional standards for speech pathologists in Australia,
  39. the professional standards and the code
  40. of ethics are interconnected and complementary.
  41. They both encourage prep
  42. positive behaviour and apply to all speeches, regardless of their role,
  43. scope or stage of career.
  44. The professional standards outlines the unique knowledge,
  45. skills and attributes a speech pathologist must demonstrate every day.
  46. These three overarching domains reflect the essential capabilities required.
  47. These domains are broken down into standards and elements, which are we Statements
  48. like a set of promises speech pathologists commit to abiding by.
  49. Let's consider the second donate lifelong learning.
  50. Your child's therapists would have acquired their knowledge
  51. from a range of sources like their degree,
  52. recent conferences, research papers and texts,
  53. and applied a critical lens to use the information appropriately for your child.
  54. Another fundamental framework for speech pathologists
  55. is the world health organisations,
  56. international classification of function, disability and health known as the F.
  57. As speech pathologists,
  58. it is vital review our patients holistically as more than just their challenges.
  59. It is important we consider the diverse context
  60. of individuals because a person's functioning or disability
  61. is a dynamic interaction between their health
  62. conditions and their environmental and personal factors.
  63. This framework describes and organises this information and
  64. is broken down into the interconnected components.
  65. On this diagram.
  66. Body Functions and Structures describes the challenges
  67. in the functions of the body.
  68. For example, impairment of your child's tongue may affect their language.
  69. Activities refers to the limitations in performing life activities.
  70. Are there specific instances that your child finds challenging, say,
  71. unable to pronounce the letter s
  72. participation refers to problems and individual
  73. may experience in life situations.
  74. Does your child's language challenges stop them from doing
  75. activities like joining in group games in the playground?
  76. Environmental factors relate to the physical,
  77. social and attitudinal environment in which people live.
  78. How much family support is there to do homework, for example,
  79. and finally, personal factors
  80. elements such as age, gender, ethnicity, temperament,
  81. a shy three year old girl.
  82. Another important framework in the context of preschool
  83. Children is the early years learning framework relevant
  84. because it applies to the age of your child and is used in their preschool.
  85. It would be important to reference this when understanding the
  86. environmental and personal factors in the context of the CF.
  87. The early years learning framework puts Children's learning at the
  88. core and provides principles to guide and achieve learning outcomes
  89. similar to the icy framework, it has a positive and strength based approach.
  90. Like the others,
  91. this framework also takes a holistic approach to the child respects diversity,
  92. assessment for learning and the encouragement
  93. of professional development and reflective practise.
  94. It also values family partnership.
  95. So has this helped you understand the role of speech pathologist for your child?
  96. When these frameworks work in unison, the best outcomes are achieved.
  97. Thank you for your time. Check out these helpful resources If you'd like to know more