Communicate your way: De-pathologising the speech pathology profession

This week is 2024 Speech Pathology Australia week. The theme of this year’s event is “communicate your way”. Reflecting on this theme I realised that helping people to “communicate their way” is the whole point of what we are working towards with the people we support. Our purpose as speech pathologists is to enable them to communicate in a way that is authentic and meaningful to them. This might seem like a straightforward concept, but in a profession that has the word “pathology” in its name, historically we have been very good at identifying what is “wrong” with a person’s communication, rather that what is amazing, unique and special.

The speech pathology profession is going through a slow but beautiful transformation where were are realising that the goal of speech therapy is not a homogenising one, where every person is required to speak “correctly” (as has traditionally been the goal) but rather a process to embrace the diversity of different forms, styles and cultures of communication.

One example of this is in the area of speech production. It has long been upheld that there is a correct way to say things and that if people pronounce words and sounds differently this needed to be fixed. But what this approach actually does is covertly foster bias and enable marginalisation of speakers of “non-standard” dialects, namely those who are multilingual or speak a dialect that is considered a lower status (e.g., rural dialects or dialects spoken by those of lower socioeconomic status). In the age of social media, people are subverting these old stereotypes and instead taking pride in their unique ways of speaking, seeing them as a marker of identity and inclusion in a social group or cultural community.

Its also important to recognise that communicating doesn’t need to involve speech at all. Many people communicate via alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) methods such as sign language, voice output devices, tablets, visuals and gestures. Communication is a two way process and can only be effective when both communication partners are working to make the exchange successful. The greatest thing we can do as communication partners is to learn how to effectively communicate their way. Learn how to engage with their device, or how to use sign language to enable their voice to truly be heard.

Another example where a major shift is taking place is in the area of stuttering. In traditional speech pathology practice the concept or stuttering/stammering has long been pathologised and speakers put through arduous intervention programs to “eliminate” their stutter. In contrast, many people who stutter are now embracing this diversity in their communication and choosing not to change the way that they speak. This is particularly true for those on the neurodiversity community where stuttering can be a typical aspect of communication. Advocates argue that it is the role of society to be more respectful and understanding of diverse forms of communication, rather than forcing people to change who they are and how they speak in order to appease their communication partner.

In fact, the neurodiversity affirming movement may be the greatest advocate for change in this space by calling for the abolition of outdated techniques that seek to “cure” or “minimise” features of neurodiversity (such as Autism and ADHD). Frequently, speech therapy for autistic children has focused on removing stimming behaviours (such as flapping hands when excited), discouraging autistics from talking about their special interests, and teaching autistics to mask their neurodiversity by learning and adopting neurotypical social skills (such as making eye contact and engaging in small talk). These techniques are the antithesis of “communicating your way” and have extremely detrimental impacts upon the mental health and wellbeing of neurodiverse individuals.

While people should have the option to engage in speech therapy interventions for things they would like to change about their communication, the theme of “communicate your way” should encourage us to think about the beauty that comes from the diversity that exists in communication. By embracing this diversity and critically re-evaluating homogenising practices that teach “correct” approaches to communication, we can support people to make unique contributions to their lives and lives of others by communicating their way.

Happy Speech Pathology Week!