Written by: Nimra Khan / Treatment / February 23, 2022 / 8 minutes read

It is a well-known topic for the speech pathology profession in many countries. Specifically, that the group of registered speech-language pathologists is not a diverse group, in addition to many of the materials and therapy structures which can lead to reducing inclusion. The diversity that I will be discussing comes in many forms, including: linguistic, racial, ethnic, sex and gender.

Based on the published data of the demographics of members registered with the American Speech-Language and Audiologists Association, the following are the results as of 2020. ASHA has 218,314 members, of which: 

• 95.5% are females 

• 8.5% identify as racial minorities and 6.1% as Hispanic or Latino 

• 29.4% (the majority) are 34 years and younger 

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2021). Profile of ASHA members and affiliates, year-end 2020. www.asha.org 

Many SLPs are also monolinguals or speak English as their first language. As an SLP who is not Caucasian, and English not being my first language, I fall within a minority in this field. On the other hand, being a woman, I fall into the majority much more easily, compared to the much fewer number of males in our field.

Some people might wonder why it matters to the speech, professional communication or language clients we service as to how diverse SLPs are? Overall, it is similar to increasing diversity in other fields – it is a better reflection of the people we provide services to. Many of the materials and areas of thought for speech therapy treatment are hetero-normative and not linguistically or culturally diverse. For instance, many people work on pronouns, but this can be very prescriptive still in terms of showing a girl with long hair and a dress for ‘she’, whereas this can vary in the real world. 

Many areas of diversity and inclusion (In efforts to avoid racism), benefit from input from the individuals who it affects the most. In relation to the pronouns example mentioned above, the inclusion of people who are different places on the gender spectrum is helpful in bringing positive changes. The speech pathology board in Ontario (CASLPO) also has many ethical guidelines, including the ‘Culturally Appropriate Intervention standard’, which states, in part:

“Members must be aware that socio-cultural factors such as race, ethnicity, customs, age, disability, gender, sexuality and religion may affect screening, assessment, management, communication and therapy relationships and must incorporate this knowledge into the patient’s intervention.”

There are many guidelines which have been released over the years, which provide positive changes in order to increase inclusion within the field. Aside from getting input from people of a variety of backgrounds, we can also make sure that, as SLPs, we take into account many different background in assessment and treatment The following are some of the ways SLPs work towards improving inclusion and diversity:

Language 

In many cases, an interpreter or translator is recommended. This can be especially helpful for those individuals who speak a language which an SLP does not (including ASL). For individuals who are bilingual and have phonological disorders, inventories of speech sounds in various languages such as Arabic, Cantonese, Korean, Spanish etc. have been created. This could be apparent in different vocabulary based on the language they’ve grown up with, possible accent, etc. For example, I’ve worked with many children and adults who did not speak English as their native language. Due to this, I am able to keep in mind that certain sound differences will be due to their first language, such as Mandarin, Korean, etc. As the use of masks has become more commonplace since the onset of COVID-19, many people also wonder how this might affect their voice.

Race and ethnicity 

Being from a particular ethnic background does not increase likelihood of speech and language difficulties – however, it is the case that many individuals from minority groups more often face poverty and limited resources. It is important in offering services since it should not be assumed that these individuals will have speech or language difficulties just because they are from a certain ethnic background. The Black Lives Matter movement has also raised awareness in the field to reduce discrimination wherever possible. 

Sex and Gender  

Many clients will not fit into a cisgender definition. It is important to be sensitive to terminology that individuals of various gender identities choose to use, as well as the challenges they can face. This might be most important for transgender voice clients; however, this is important to consider when a client feels comfortable to share their background with a clinician, even if voice change is not the aim. As anyone can imagine, speaking with a therapist can be very personal and private, so knowing that your therapist can empathize with and respect you can improve any therapist-client relationship. 

If you are a client at WellSaid, you will also notice that we often ask about your native language, educational background, etc. This all helps us as therapists to make sure that we take into account the factors that could affect your linguistic and social exposure, which could be impacting your language. For example, if a client’s main concern is production of /v/, knowing their native language can help determine if the production is typical to that first language, or due to a different cause (i.e. ruling out structural difficulties). This is just one part of an SLP’s decision-making. 

Due to the various workplaces that SLPs can practice in, these considerations will be in place in various ways. In addition, it can be helpful to learn about the differences between SLPs, OTs, and PTs, as many people need to access all three. We also work on overall communication ability - try our communication wellness course.

To speak with one of the speech-language pathologists at Well Said: Toronto Speech Therapy, schedule an initial consultation by clicking the link below or calling (647) 795-5277.