Preparing Future SLPs for the Clinical World of Cultural-Linguistic Diversity

Abstract

Language use in the United States has become increasingly diverse. One in five U.S. residents speaks a language other than English at home, with over 350 languages spoken in the nation. There is a clear need for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who are culturally and linguistically competent to serve this diverse population. We designed a specialized graduate training program, Project Tapestry, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, to meet this need in our community. The project includes workshops on cultures, languages, and counseling for graduate students to work with clients and families with diverse backgrounds. Students also learn about collaborating with interpreters and translators. Project Tapestry prepares future SLPs with the knowledge to diagnose linguistic differences and disorders, sensitivity and awareness to identify cultural differences, and skills to communicate and implement clinical plans that consider cultural-linguistic differences. We will discuss preliminary outcomes of the project.

Serving Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Clients: A Review of Changing Trends in Speech-Language Pathologists’ Self-efficacy and Implications for Stakeholders

“…Several graduate programs across the nation currently provide a specialized course in working with linguistically and culturally diverse populations [38]. However, in most universities, the existing coursework does not cover all areas of CLD service delivery [3].…”

“…Therefore, graduate-level courses should lay equal emphasis on a wide range of topics in CLD service delivery [4]. For example, the graduate program at San Jose State University provides students the opportunity to attend workshops in working with language interpreters, counseling CLD families, and language-specific training [38].…”

“…Another important consideration for graduate programs is to create practicum opportunities for students to learn and apply their skills. In addition to the master's degree requirements, some universities offer a 50-hour specialized clinical practicum for students working with CLD families [36,38]. In an effort to create more real-world opportunities, graduate programs could collaborate with local school districts and community centers that represent a large proportion of CLD individuals.…”

Development and evaluation of interprofessional e-learning for speech pathologists, interpreters and translators

“…This is not routinely embedded into academic coursework (Santhanam, Gilbert, & Paveen, 2018) and varies between countries (Saenz & Langdon, 2019;Zhang & Crawford, 2018). SP students have been recruited in two studies evaluating training to work with ITs (Pechak, Summers, & Velasco, 2018;Quach & Tsai, 2017). Only one known study to date has evaluated training outcomes for qualified SPs in Australia regarding working effectively with ITs (Zhang, Crawford, Bernard, & Walker-Smith, 2019a, 2019b.…”

Speech-Language Pathologists’ Use of Language Interpreters With Linguistically Diverse Clients: A Nationwide Survey Study

“…Despite these efforts, most programs include the topic of working with language interpreters in a minimal capacity, but do not offer a specialized course on the topic (Scott, 2014). Quach and Tsai (2017) report that there is absence of any training in some areas of specialization such as laws and policies associated with CLD service delivery and use of language interpreters. Langdon and Cheng (2002) conducted a survey of SLPs practicing in California.…”