Speech Language Pathology: Realistic Expectations Discussion

Realistic Expectations Discussion

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Eastern New Mexico University

Speech Language Pathology

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Date

Realistic Expectations Discussion

Importance of Speech Therapy Expectations

            Speech therapy expectations can be used to develop the framework of what is expected to be achieved by the client after completion of the speech-language pathology therapy. Hence, the speech therapy expectations are vital for several reasons including:

• Creating Speech Therapy Programs: Through the establishment of speech therapy expectations from the onset having evaluated the client, the speech pathologist is capable of determining the most appropriate model to adopt and design an individual treatment program that best suits the client (Food & Healing, 2022).
• Monitoring Progress: By being familiar with what speech therapy expectations are aimed for, the speech pathologist is capable of measuring the patient’s progress and afterward making proper decisions as to modifying treatment or adjusting the therapies being utilized (Food & Healing, 2022).
• Working Towards a Common Goal: By having speech therapy expectation onset, every individual who takes part in the support of the patient’s progress such as speech-language pathologist, teachers, and parents will collaborate towards similar expectations hence the patient’s therapy will always be consistent irrespective of who is with them at any given period (Food & Healing, 2022).
• Attaining the Patient’s Needs: Since parents acknowledge what their child’s speech therapy expectations are, and with them spending more time with their child, those parents are capable of better understanding the approaches to use to support their child and understand how well they are progressing and provide crucial feedback to the child’s speech pathologists (Food & Healing, 2022).

Outcome Measures

            The outcome measures related to speech and language therapy are fundamental parts of delivering high-quality and effective services (Cohen & Hula, 2020). They are a vital component of a clinician’s tool of appraisal approaches and are central in the establishment of patient-centered programs for intervention. The outcome measures are therefore vital to:

• Providing patient-centered and evidenced-based services.
• Supporting quality improvement and appraising clinical efficacy and;
• Demonstrating the effect of speech and language therapy.

Methods a Clinician Could Use to Obtain Outcome Measures.

            Clinicians usually choose the most suitable methods to obtain outcome measures for a particular patient and this depends on their language profile, factors linked to language functioning such as cognitive functioning and hearing loss, the patient’s cultural values and background as well as their age (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, n.d). As such the following is a list of some of the methods that clinicians could use to obtain outcome measures.

• Self-Report, Parent/Teacher Measures: These types of measures encompass questionnaires, inventories, checklists, and scales that have been completed by the individual, parent, or teacher. The results from diverse sources, for instance, teacher vs. family vs. individual reports, can be compared to gain a holistic profile of communication skills (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, n.d). For persons who speak a language other than English at home, the speech pathologist needs to collect detailed data on the use of English and the primary language. Whenever possible, a checklist should be provided in the individual's native language to record the most precise data (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, n.d).

• Naturalistic Observation: This type of observation involves monitoring an individual’s daily social setting (such as academic settings) with peers. A criterion-referenced appraisal is usually ideal for use during naturalistic settings to record an individual’s functional usage of language across multiple social circumstances (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, n.d).
• Dynamic Testing: This is an outcome measure method where the patient is evaluated, their skills addressed, and then the patient is reevaluated (asses, coach, and reassess approach) to determine the therapy outcome (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, n.d). The method is vital in distinguishing between language disorders and language differences and can be utilized together with language sampling and standardized tests (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, n.d).

Why It is Better to Treat Hearing Loss Rather than Go Without Treatment

            It is recommended to treat hearing loss rather than use amplification to avoid treatment for several reasons. First, the longer an individual stays without the capacity to hear properly, the more work will be required to make sense of what is heard by the use of hearing amplifiers (Joni, 2020). In addition, studies indicate that untreated hearing loss can negatively impact the general quality of life in various aspects.  For instance, when an individual cannot hear properly, it becomes challenging to take part in group conversations and meaningful conversations become difficult. Therefore, listening becomes even more exhausting (Joni, 2020).

            The psychological impacts of untreated hearing loss are also crucial.  For example, daily struggle to hear and comprehend friends and people around you can often lead to embarrassment, angry outbursts, and restraint from social activities (Joni, 2020). As a result, withdrawal from activities can result in low self-esteem and contribute to depression (Joni, 2020). Lastly, studies reveal that hearing loss is strongly linked to dementia. Individuals with hearing loss indicated 2 to 5 times the rate of incidence of dementia as did the normal persons without hearing loss (Joni, 2020). Hence, this fact confirms the scientific finding that the greater the hearing loss, the higher the risk for dementia.

References

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d). Preferred Practice Patterns for the Profession of Speech-Language Pathology. Available at: https://www.asha.org/siteassets/publications/pp2004-00191.pdf (Accessed 20th July 2024)

Cohen, M. L., & Hula, W. D. (2020). Patient-reported outcomes and evidence-based practice in speech-language pathology. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 29(1), 357-370. Available at: https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2019_AJSLP-19-00076 (Accessed 20th July 2024).

Food & Healing. (2022). Speech Therapy Goals And Why They Are Important. Available at: https://www.foodandhealing.com/speech-therapy-goals-and-why-they-are-important/ (Accessed 20th 2024).

Joni, J. (2020). Hearing loss: The Importance of Early Treatment and The Risks Associated with Waiting. Available at: https://www.multicare.org/vitals/hearing-loss-the-importance-of-early-treatment/#:~:text=The%20longer%20one%20goes%20without,affect%20overall%20quality%20of%20life. (Accessed 20th July 2024).