Clinical practices of speech-language pathologists working with 12- to 16-year olds in Australia

Abstract

Purpose: The current landscape of speech-language pathology (SLP) services for 12- to 16-year olds in Australia remains largely unchartered. Implementing the Speech Pathology 2030 vision necessitates mapping current services, and gaps in services, provided by speech-language pathologists (SLPs). However, the last survey of Australian SLPs’ practices with young people was conducted in 2005. The aim of this study was to bridge the service delivery information gap.

Method: Ninety-six SLPs working with 12- to 16-year olds in Australia completed an anonymous online survey consisting of binary choice, multiple choice, and Likert scale questions. A theoretical approach to service delivery based on response to intervention models underpinned question design.

Result: SLP clinical practices remain traditional, following an impairment/diagnostic model. Additionally, there is an inequitable provision of SLP services across states/territories of Australia, according to whether or not there is government provision for SLP services in public schools.

Conclusion: The results suggest a need for standard government provision of SLP services across Australia to ensure equity of access. These findings inform our understanding of contemporary assessment and intervention practices of SLPs working with 12- to 16-year olds in Australia.

Keywords:

• Adolescents
• survey
• assessment
• intervention
• Australia

Declaration of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest in relation to the research presented in this manuscript.

Notes

1 This data is derived from the Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC, Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016), which defines the activity of communication as “understanding and being understood by family and friends or strangers”.

2 While we acknowledge that RTI is a means by which to progress children through intervention services, we used the tiered categories solely as a means to frame survey questions, rather than whole school progress monitoring.

3 By the end of 2019, Speech Pathology Australia had 9,862 members (Speech Pathology Australia, 2019).