Knowledge, practices and aspirations of speech-language pathologists’ provision of culturally responsive practice for Pacific Islander families
Tracks
5
Cultural responsiveness
Paediatric/Infant
Service delivery
| Saturday, June 14, 2025 |
| 2:45 PM - 2:55 PM |
Overview
Holly McAlister and Dr Suzanne Hopf
Details
⏫ Research insights
⏲️ 2.45pm - 3.05pm
⌛20-minutes
📚 Assumed knowledge of attendees: Foundational (new/casual familiarity with the topic e.g. treated a single case)
⏲️ 2.45pm - 3.05pm
⌛20-minutes
📚 Assumed knowledge of attendees: Foundational (new/casual familiarity with the topic e.g. treated a single case)
Presenter
Miss Holly McAlister
NSW Health
Knowledge, practices and aspirations of speech-language pathologists’ provision of culturally responsive practice for Pacific Islander families
2:45 PM - 3:05 PMPresentation summary
The Pacific Islands is a culturally and linguistically diverse region. While speech-language pathology is an emerging profession within many Pacific Islands, families with Pacific Islander heritage have emigrated across the world to countries in which support for communication difficulties is more established. Those children will likely see a speech-language pathologist (SLP) from a different cultural or linguistic background. Provision of culturally responsive services is essential for ethical, respectful, and appropriate communication support for these children. The current knowledge, beliefs, and practices of SLPs who provide services to these children is unknown, and so the provision of equitable, culturally safe and responsive services for these children is at risk.
This study aimed to identify SLPs’ current practices and aspirations for best practice when working with Pacific Islander children with communication difficulties, and to identify practical strategies for improving culturally responsive practice with these children.
A mixed-methods survey gained insights from 57 SLPs and allied health assistants, the majority of whom practiced in Australia, Aotearoa, and the United States. Overall, most respondents advised that while they were aware of the diversity of Pacific Islander languages and cultures, they would not describe themselves as knowledgeable about the same. Twenty-two respondents had provided services to children with Pacific Islander heritage, the majority being of Maori, Tongan, or Samoan heritage. The children were most often assessed in English only. SLPs also identified a range of resources that could support culturally responsive practice for Pacific Islander families, including culturally and linguistically appropriate assessment and intervention resources, information on Pacific Islander family dynamics, communication and language socialisation practices, and knowledge of children’s communication development.
While some resources are available to support culturally responsive services for Pacific Islander children, numerous gaps were identified in the available resources to support culturally safe and responsive services for this population.
This study aimed to identify SLPs’ current practices and aspirations for best practice when working with Pacific Islander children with communication difficulties, and to identify practical strategies for improving culturally responsive practice with these children.
A mixed-methods survey gained insights from 57 SLPs and allied health assistants, the majority of whom practiced in Australia, Aotearoa, and the United States. Overall, most respondents advised that while they were aware of the diversity of Pacific Islander languages and cultures, they would not describe themselves as knowledgeable about the same. Twenty-two respondents had provided services to children with Pacific Islander heritage, the majority being of Maori, Tongan, or Samoan heritage. The children were most often assessed in English only. SLPs also identified a range of resources that could support culturally responsive practice for Pacific Islander families, including culturally and linguistically appropriate assessment and intervention resources, information on Pacific Islander family dynamics, communication and language socialisation practices, and knowledge of children’s communication development.
While some resources are available to support culturally responsive services for Pacific Islander children, numerous gaps were identified in the available resources to support culturally safe and responsive services for this population.
Refrences
Hopf, S. C., & McLeod, S. (2015). Services for people with communication disability in Fiji: Barriers and drivers of change. Rural and Remote Health, 15(3), 1–10. www.rrh.org.au/journal/article/2863
Hopf, S. C., McLeod, S., & Geraghty, P. (2016). A contrastive analysis of the phonologies of two Fiji English dialects: A diagnostic guide for speech-language pathologists. Speech, Language and Hearing, 19(2), 96–104. https://doi.org/10.1080/2050571X.2015.1133037
Hopf, S. C., McLeod, S., & McDonagh, S. H. (2016). Fiji school students' multilingual language choices when talking with friends. In M. Theobold (Ed.), Friendship and peer culture in multilingual settings (Vol. 21, pp. 55–88). Emerald Group Publishing.
Hopf, S. C., McLeod, S., & McDonagh, S. H. (2017). Validation of the Intelligibility in Context Scale for school students in Fiji. Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics, 31(7-9), 487–502. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699206.2016.1268208
Hyter, Y., & Salas-Provance, M. (2017). Culturally responsive practices: In speech, language, and hearing sciences. Plural Publishing.
McAlister, H., Hopf, S. C., & McLeod, S. (2023). Effect of dialect on identification and severity of speech sound disorder in Fijian children. Speech, Language and Hearing, 26(1), 48–60. https://doi.org/10.1080/2050571X.2022.2052506
McAlister, H., McLeod, S., & Hopf, S. C. (2022). Fijian school students’ Fiji English speech sound acquisition. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 24(3), 260–270. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2022.2044905
Nancarrow, S., McGill, N., Baldac, S., Lewis, T., Moran, A., Harris, N., Johnson, T., & Mulcair, G. (2023). Diversity in the Australian speech-language pathology workforce: Addressing Sustainable Development Goals 3, 4, 8, and 10. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 25(1), 119–124. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2023.2165149
Staley, B., Fernandes, M., Hickey, E., Barrett, H., Wylie, K., Marshall, J., Pillay, M., Kathard, H., Sowden, R., Rochus, D., Westby, C. E., Roman, T. R., & Hartley, S. D. (2022). Stitching a new garment: Considering the future of the speech-language therapy profession globally. South African Journal of Communication Disorders, 69(1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajcd.v69i1.932
Verdon, S., McLeod, S., & McDonald, S. (2014). A geographical analysis of speech-language pathology services to support multilingual children. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 16(3), 304–316. https://doi.org/10.3109/17549507.2013.868036
Williams, C. J., & McLeod, S. (2012). Speech-language pathologists' assessment and intervention practices with multilingual children. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 14(3), 292–305. https://doi.org/10.3109/17549507.2011.636071
Hopf, S. C., McLeod, S., & Geraghty, P. (2016). A contrastive analysis of the phonologies of two Fiji English dialects: A diagnostic guide for speech-language pathologists. Speech, Language and Hearing, 19(2), 96–104. https://doi.org/10.1080/2050571X.2015.1133037
Hopf, S. C., McLeod, S., & McDonagh, S. H. (2016). Fiji school students' multilingual language choices when talking with friends. In M. Theobold (Ed.), Friendship and peer culture in multilingual settings (Vol. 21, pp. 55–88). Emerald Group Publishing.
Hopf, S. C., McLeod, S., & McDonagh, S. H. (2017). Validation of the Intelligibility in Context Scale for school students in Fiji. Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics, 31(7-9), 487–502. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699206.2016.1268208
Hyter, Y., & Salas-Provance, M. (2017). Culturally responsive practices: In speech, language, and hearing sciences. Plural Publishing.
McAlister, H., Hopf, S. C., & McLeod, S. (2023). Effect of dialect on identification and severity of speech sound disorder in Fijian children. Speech, Language and Hearing, 26(1), 48–60. https://doi.org/10.1080/2050571X.2022.2052506
McAlister, H., McLeod, S., & Hopf, S. C. (2022). Fijian school students’ Fiji English speech sound acquisition. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 24(3), 260–270. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2022.2044905
Nancarrow, S., McGill, N., Baldac, S., Lewis, T., Moran, A., Harris, N., Johnson, T., & Mulcair, G. (2023). Diversity in the Australian speech-language pathology workforce: Addressing Sustainable Development Goals 3, 4, 8, and 10. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 25(1), 119–124. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2023.2165149
Staley, B., Fernandes, M., Hickey, E., Barrett, H., Wylie, K., Marshall, J., Pillay, M., Kathard, H., Sowden, R., Rochus, D., Westby, C. E., Roman, T. R., & Hartley, S. D. (2022). Stitching a new garment: Considering the future of the speech-language therapy profession globally. South African Journal of Communication Disorders, 69(1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajcd.v69i1.932
Verdon, S., McLeod, S., & McDonald, S. (2014). A geographical analysis of speech-language pathology services to support multilingual children. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 16(3), 304–316. https://doi.org/10.3109/17549507.2013.868036
Williams, C. J., & McLeod, S. (2012). Speech-language pathologists' assessment and intervention practices with multilingual children. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 14(3), 292–305. https://doi.org/10.3109/17549507.2011.636071
**********
Dr Suzanne Hopf
Charles Sturt University
Knowledge, practices and aspirations of speech-language pathologists’ provision of culturally responsive practice for Pacific Islander families
2:45 PM - 3:05 PM**********
Dr. Suzanne C. Hopf is Course Director (Speech Pathology) and Senior Lecturer at Charles Sturt University, Australia. An Australian-Fijian citizen based in Fiji, Suzanne’s publications and presentations describe how the contextually unique barriers and facilitators for supporting people with communication disability are created and reinforced by individual, community, and societal factors. Dr. Hopf’s Communication Capacity Research and Culturally Responsive Teamwork frameworks provide starting points for developing evidence-informed and culturally responsive communication specialist services in unserved areas of the world.
Professor Sharynne McLeod
Charles Sturt University
Knowledge, practices and aspirations of speech-language pathologists’ provision of culturally responsive practice for Pacific Islander families
2:45 PM - 3:05 PM**********
Sharynne McLeod, Ph.D. is a Distinguished Professor at Charles Sturt University, Australia specialising in children’s speech. Her transformative research has reframed the profession by foregrounding communication rights and social justice, and by enhancing equitable participation for multilingual children with speech, language and communication needs.
She has received Honors of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, is a Life Member of Speech Pathology Australia, a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences of Australia, and President of the International Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics Association. She has been an Australian Research Council Future Fellow, editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology.
The Australian Newspaper has named Professor McLeod as Australia’s Research Field Leader in Audiology, Speech and Language Pathology and “best in the world based on the quality, volume and impact of work”.
Session chair
Jacqueline McKechnie
University Of Canberra
The information contained in this program is current at of the time of publishing but is subject to changes made without notice.
Disclaimer: © (2024) The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited. All rights reserved.
Important Notice, please read: The views expressed in this presentation and reproduced in these materials are not necessarily the views of, or endorsed by, The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited ("the Association"). The Association makes no warranty or representation in relation to the content, currency or accuracy of any of the materials comprised in this presentation. The Association expressly disclaims any and all liability (including liability for negligence) in respect of use of these materials and the information contained within them. The Association recommends you seek independent professional advice prior to making any decision involving matters outlined in this presentation including in any of the materials referred to or otherwise incorporated into this presentation.
.
