Parent/Caregiver Views of the Effectiveness of Speech-Language Pathology for Children Born With Cleft Palate Delivered via Telemedicine During COVID-19

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe and examine parent views of speech-language pathology (SLP) for children born with cleft palate delivered via telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom (UK). Method: Parents were asked whether they found this method of delivery “very effective,” “somewhat effective,” or “not at all effective.” Free text was then invited. There were 212 responses. Ordinal chi-square, Kruskal–Wallis, or Fisher's exact tests examined associations between parent views of effectiveness and biological variables and socioeconomic status. Free text responses were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results: One hundred and forty (66.0%) respondents reported that SLP delivered via telemedicine was “somewhat effective,” 56 (26.4%) “very effective,” and 16 (7.6%) “not at all effective.” There was no evidence of an association between parent reported effectiveness and any of the explanatory variables. Parent-reported challenges impacting on effectiveness included technology issues and keeping their children engaged with sessions. Importantly, telemedicine was viewed as “better than nothing.” Conclusions: Most parents reported that they felt SLP delivered via telemedicine during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK was at least “somewhat effective.” It is important to interpret this in the context of there being no other method of service delivery during this time and that this study only represents families who were able to access SLP delivered via telemedicine. Further work is needed to identify which children with cleft palate might benefit from SLP delivered via telemedicine to inform postpandemic service provision.

Exposing Learners to Practice

Clinical education is the center of professional preparation in healthcare fields, linking theoretical knowledge with clinical practice in the minds and behaviors of student clinicians. Clinical education, supervised by educators who are licensed professionals, is essential in the process of creating new professionals. What does a professional training program do about clinical education when the world shuts down? This chapter addresses the context of a private, not for profit university's response to the COVID-19 public healthcare crisis in spring of 2019 and the process by which a graduate training program in speech-language pathology re-organized, and re-visioned, clinical education in that context. The process allowed an upper cohort of students to graduate successfully and on time, engaged a lower cohort of brand-new clinicians in meaningful clinical learning, and taught the program new lessons about what is important in designing clinical education.

Hospital speech-language pathology approach in oropharyngeal dysphagia and its motor and etiological associations

Objective: To identify the profile of speech-language pathology in patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia at a University Hospital and the associations between health conditions and the etiology of swallowing disorders. Methods: A cross-sectional and descriptive study, with analysis of medical records of patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia treated at a University Hospital, of both sexes, attended from February to December 2018. A descriptive and association analysis of the evaluated variables was carried out, with a significance level of 0.05. Results: It was identified in the sample, consisting of 26 (51%) females and 25 (49%) males, with a mean of 57.1 years (± 18.6), presence of progressive neurogenic oropharyngeal dysphagia (39.2 %), idiopathic (31.4%) and non-progressive (29.4%), in which the most performed speech-language pathology procedures were assessment (100%), giving support to observational issues during the fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (96.1%), management of dysphagia (92.2%) and return and discharge conducts (49% and 25.5%, respectively). The multi-professional participation has conducted better decision-making for an adequate diagnosis and speech therapy approach that had aimed at the management of oropharyngeal dysphagia, as well the intervention approaches with techniques aimed at maneuvers, and neuromuscular conditioning in relation to disorders of the biomechanics of swallowing. There was a significant association between the presence of motor and balance changes with neurogenic oropharyngeal dysphagia and difficulty in swallowing and choking symptoms as a sign of oropharyngeal dysphagia.

What is vocology?

In its broadest definition, Vocology is the study of vocalization, much like audiology is the study of hearing. Vocology includes the exploration of the full capability of human and animal sound production, some of which is embedded in human speech. For professional practice, a secondary definition of Vocology is the science and practice of voice habilitation, concept that has been in existence for more than two decades. The emphasis is on habilitation rather than re-habilitation, so that the field does not infringe on speech-language pathology. Besides, it does include the important area of animal vocalization.

A Viewpoint on Accent Services: Framing and Terminology Matter

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to offer a contemporary viewpoint on accent services and contend that an equity-minded reframing of accent services in speech-language pathology is long overdue. Such reframing should address directly the use of nonpejorative terminology and the need for nurturing global linguistic diversity and practitioner diversity in speech-language pathology. The authors offer their perspective on affirmative and least-biased accent services, an in-depth scoping review of the literature on accent modification, and discuss using terms that communicate unconditional respect for speaker identity and an understanding of the impact of accent services on accented speakers. Conclusions: Given ongoing discussions about the urgent need to diversify the profession of speech-language pathology, critical attention is needed toward existing biases toward accented speakers and how such biases manifest in the way that accent services are provided as well as in how clinicians conceptualize their role in working with accented speakers. The authors conclude with discussing alternate terms and offer recommendations for accent services provided by speech-language pathologists.