Speech Pathology Services in Victoria for People with a Severe Communication Impairment

Abstract

There are approximately 6000 people in Victoria with a severe communication impairment. This paper presents the results of a state-wide survey conducted to provide information on speech pathology services to these individuals. The data were gathered from service providers from a cross-section of facilities. The results showed that severe communication impairment is an under-resourced and under-serviced area. The availability of speech pathology services was limited. Where speech pathologists offered a service to non-speaking clients, a long-term time commitment was involved and clients predominantly attended for two years or more. Time and resource constraints limited the effective provision of services. There is a limited number of speech pathologists employed in servicing severely communicatively impaired people, and a lack of knowledge about non-speech communication among the service providers. Direct speech pathology intervention alone cannot meet the diverse needs of this large population. Various options for service delivery are discussed, with an emphasis on a specialized consultancy model which incorporates preservice and in-service training.