Speech-Language Pathology in the Northern Territory

Abstract

Speech pathologists (SLPs) are routinely called on to develop and deliver culturally appropriate practices for working with Aboriginal clients. We posit that to create real change in practices with Aboriginal clients, we need to shift the focus beyond the individual clinician. Aboriginal community partners, researchers, academics and linguists need to be engaged with SLPs in clinically applicable, collaborative, intercultural, interdisciplinary teamwork. To do this we ask the profession to reconsider the way our work is envisioned, and urge funding bodies and government agencies to better support teams engaged in implementation science. Shifting the focus from individual practising clinicians towards teamwork is a more generative solution to engaging in culturally responsive practices with Aboriginal clients and in line with the commitments made in Speech Pathology Australia's Apology to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. We present three cases of interdisciplinary, collaborative work which might serve as informative practice examples for the profession.

Keywords:

• Aboriginal Clients
• Collaboration
• Culture
• Interdisciplinary Teams
• Linguistic Diversity
• Speechlanguage Pathology

Acknowledgements

Yalŋarra Guyula for her work in describing the process examples from the Growing up Children in Two Worlds project. Rebecca Allnut at Hearing Health Services Central Australia. The ERLI team acknowledges funding from the Australian Research Council through the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language

Notes

1 We have respectfully chosen to use the term Aboriginal throughout this paper as this paper focuses on our clinical work with Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Bea Staley

Bea Staley is a senior lecturer in special needs and inclusive education at Charles Darwin University and a paediatric speech pathologist.

Emily Armstrong

Emily Armstrong is a speech pathologist, collaborative researcher and PhD candidate at Charles Darwin University.

Rebecca Amery

Rebecca Amery is a PhD candidate at Charles Darwin University and a speech pathologist with a special interest in intercultural AAC. She grew up in Yirrkala, Northeast Arnhem Land and Darwin, NT.

Anne Lowell

Associate Professor Anne Lowell is a principal research fellow in the Northern Institute, Charles Darwin University and was originally a speech pathologist.

Tanya Wright

Tanya Wright is a speech pathologist for Hearing Health Services Central Australia in Alice Springs.

Caroline Jones

Associate Professor Caroline Jones is a researcher within the Speech & Language Program in the MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development at Western Sydney University.

Louise Taylor

Louise Taylor is a senior speech pathologist within the Department of Education, Darwin.

Jessica Hodson

Jessica Hodson is a speech pathologist at Children's Development Team in Alice Springs.