Helping people with communication disorders is often a team effort. Audiologists and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) often serve as members of interprofessional care teams to better serve the people they work with every day.
In honor of National Interprofessional Healthcare Month, we’re highlighting a few articles that address successful collaborative practice. We hope that these articles inspire you to further strengthen your bonds and working relationships with other health professionals.
Interprofessional Practice in Schools
I Hope for More Resources Like This: Exploring the Role of Speech-Language Pathologists in American Sign Language–English Bilingual Education: Using an American Sign Language (ASL)-English bilingual approach may lead to better outcomes for deaf students, but SLPs often receive little training in ASL. Read how collaborating with deaf educators and ASL specialists can help better support meaningful language development in deaf students.
The Perceived Value of Interprofessional Practice According to Classroom Teachers, Special Education Teachers, and Speech-Language Pathologists: Interprofessional practice (IPP) is often a necessity in schools, but not all members of a team may view collaboration in the same light. The authors of this study looked a professionals who reported higher competency in IPP believed that IPP was more valuable.
Defining Developmental Language Disorder and Dyslexia in Schools: A Mixed-Methods Analysis: Working with other education professionals requires using shared terms and definitions. A survey on developmental language disorder (DLD) and dyslexia found that school-based professionals often shared common misconceptions, highlighting the importance of shared terminology.
Taking Steps in the Right Direction: Considerations for Implementing Universal Oral Language Screenings in the Schools: Although our understanding of DLD has grown in the past few decades, many believe it’s still under-identified. Learn how you can advocate for universal language screening by collaborating with teachers and administrators.
Swallowing and Hearing Protection
The Essential Role of Speech-Language Pathologists in End-of-Life Swallowing Intervention: A Narrative Review: As an SLP serving on the palliative care team, your swallowing expertise can significantly improve a patient’s comfort and quality of life. Learn how to advocate for your role in end-of-life care and for the development of standardized practices to improve patient well-being.
Outcomes From an Interprofessional Preschool Hearing Health Education Program: Excessive loud sound exposure, particularly through earphones, is leading to more hearing loss in adolescents. Learn about a program aimed to teach children about hearing protection as young as Age 4!
More Resources From ASHA Journals
Our Special Collection on Interprofessional Education/Interprofessional Practice features more than 60 articles from across ASHA’s Journals alongside ASHA resources like eBooks and Videos. If you work in schools, check out our collections on Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), School Service Delivery, and Engaging With Teacher Unions and Education Associations.
At ASHA Journals, we are committed to giving ASHA members the tools they need to partner with allied health professionals. We hope that you’ll check out some of our resources—and learn more about how interprofessional collaboration truly can lead to better experiences for the people you serve.
