Evidence Based Practice As A Speech Language Pathologist

When practicing as a speech-language pathologist (SLP), it is crucial to have a clear understanding of the principles that guide your practice. As speech-language pathologists, the therapy that we provide is appropriate for each client and guided by the SLP’s core beliefs. These beliefs encompass the therapeutic process, language learning theories, evidence-based practice, ethics set forth by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), and cultural responsiveness. These core beliefs provide the framework and rationale necessary to appropriately, effectively, and efficiently practice as a speech-language pathologist. By understanding your approach to clinical practice, you can more effectively practice and more easily understand

By considering all three of these components when setting goals and conducting assessment and treatment, I was able to set goals that were most appropriate for my client. These goals were based on their needs, personal goals, my own clinical expertise, the clinical expertise of those around me, and the evidence base that supported the assessment and intervention methods that I was implementing. The implementation of evidence-based practices encouraged a deeper level of consideration and understanding of my own knowledge and biases, my client and their needs, and the importance of making informed decisions based on evidence when conducting speech therapy services. As I gained more experience over the Spring 2024 semester, I have continued to implement evidence-based practice and consider all three components. Furthermore, it has continued to be the most important aspect of my approach to clinical practice, and I now view it as an essential part of being a speech-language pathologist. Without evidence-based practice, I cannot know what assessments and interventions will give me accurate data and make a difference for my clients. Without evidence-based practice, I cannot know what will best suit the needs of each individual client and their family. Without

These individual needs may vary greatly based on the individual’s culture. I strongly value cultural responsiveness within my approach to clinical practice. Cultural responsiveness allows clinicians to recognize the impact of cultural and linguistic differences within our clients and how these differences impact when and what assessments and treatments are appropriate to administer. When implementing cultural competence, the clinician must value the diversity of their clients, acknowledge biases, and seek further knowledge of cultural differences (Hopf et al., 2021). Within my academic coursework, we have discussed cultural competence as it relates to assessment and treatment within the areas of developmental language disorders. We closely examined different speech and language evaluations and how a cultural or linguistic difference could be misidentified as a speech or language disorder. We were further encouraged to explore methods to create culturally responsive speech therapy activities that valued diverse cultures and encouraged inclusivity. I did this by carefully considering what experience children may have with different stimuli based on their cultural backgrounds and how a child’s culture can be appropriately incorporated into speech therapy