Revisiting the roles and responsibilities of speech-language therapists in South African schools

Abstract

The role of speech-language therapists (SLTs) in schools in South Africa needs to be revisited based on the changing educational needs in the country. Th is article builds on a paper by Kathard et al. (2011), which discussed the changing needs of the country with regard to the role of SLTs working in schools. South African policy changes indicated a shift from supporting the child to supporting the teacher, but also place more emphasis on the support of all learners in literacy in an eff ort to address past inequities. Th is paper addresses several of the questions that emerged from Kathard et al. and explores the collaborative roles played by SLTs on four levels in the education context. Collaboration at the learner level (level 1) focuses on prevention and support, whereas collaboration at the teacher level (level 2) is described in terms of training, mentoring, monitoring and consultation. Collaboration can also occur at the district level (level 3), where the focus is mainly on the development and implementation of support programmes for teachers in areas of literacy and numeracy. Collaboration at the level of national and provincial education (level 4) is key to all other roles, as it impacts on policy. Th is last level is the platform to advocate for the employment of SLTs in schools. Such new roles and responsibilities have important implications for the preparation of future SLTs. Suggestions for curricular review and professional development are discussed. It is proposed that SASLHA responds to the changes by developing a position statement on the roles and responsibilities of SLTs in schools.

The piloting of a specific support programme for Grade R teachers on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: The process of development

“…Primary schools in South Africa are phasing in the Grade R (reception year) as part of the Foundation Phase. Considering that the majority of Grade R teachers were trained when tertiary training was still racially and ethnically divided, the training may have been inadequate, the necessary qualifications never obtained and additional training not presented (Wium & Louw, 2013). Thus, Grade R teachers may not be well prepared for the present-day demands in the South African educational domain (Wium & Louw, 2011).…”

“…Thus, Grade R teachers may not be well prepared for the present-day demands in the South African educational domain (Wium & Louw, 2011). Therefore, teaching Grade R learners who experience barriers to learning (Wium & Louw, 2013), such as ADHD and concomitant emergent literacy difficulties – which mostly become noticeable in the preschool or reception year (Wessels, 2011) – may be challenging for Grade R teachers, especially if they have no background in managing such challenges.…”

“…The DoE recognised a need for training to amend previous inequities, which include retraining and supporting teachers as indicated by the Minister of Basic Education as far back as 2011 (Gumede, 2017). Support for teachers will minimise the gaps in teachers’ knowledge as improved knowledge affects the management of learners with barriers to learning and consequently learner performance (Wium & Louw, 2013). Subsequently, the DoE and the Department of Basic Education implemented national education policies such as, among others, the White Paper 6 in 2001, the new National Curriculum Statement (NCS) and the RNCS in 2001, as well as the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) in 2010.…”

Supporting language development in Lebanese preschools: SLT and pre‐KT practice and perception of roles

“…Effective collaboration between SLTs and teachers requires both parties to understand their individual roles and practices in schools (Wium and Louw 2013). The present paper explores the perceptions (i.e., what they think they have to do) and reported practices (i.e., what they think they do) concerning language support among pre‐KTs and SLTs in Lebanese schools.…”

South African speech-language therapists’ opinion of their training in cleft lip and palate and craniofacial deformities

“…CLP patient care relies on the teaching and exposure that the student received at university and the knowledge gained throughout the practitioner’s career (McDonald, Adamidis, Eaton, Seeholzer & Sieminska-Piekarczyk, 2000 ; Wium & Louw, 2013 ). Therefore, continuous evaluation of the academic education and services provided for CLP and CFD is necessary to provide a foundation for the improvement of educational resources.…”