Cultural And Linguistic Diversity CEU Courses for SLPs

The Comprehensive Assessment of Articulation and Intelligibility (CAAI), a research-based, data-driven approach to accent management, and its use in screening, assessment, goal setting, and progress monitoring are described in this course. The need for cultural responsiveness, bias awareness and adherence to principles of anti-racist communication when providing these services is also discussed.

Targeted phonological instruction (i.e., “accent modification”) provided by SLPs may help non-native speaking adults communicate more effectively in their new language, but can also prompt ethical concerns. The nature of accents, their connection to linguistic discrimination, and best practices for ethical provision of elective accent modification services are discussed in this course.

Cultural humility, the ways it is different from cultural competence, and methods for incorporating it into everyday clinical practice are discussed in this course. Topics include the importance of clinician self-reflection for examining attitudes on cultural humility and fostering acceptance & inclusion, and the potential benefits to clients by creating more authentic, meaningful therapeutic relationships.

The personal experience of the presenter, as an individual with a disability and an occupational therapist, and perspectives on what healthcare providers should know about living with a disability are shared in this course. Discussion includes consideration of disability and accessibility in diversity/equity/inclusion frameworks, disability supports, and social factors that impact persons with disabilities.

The key ingredients needed to conduct both English and Bilingual dynamic assessments are described in this course. Ways to modify assessments to focus on the student’s learning potential and to ensure cultural sensitivity during bilingual assessments are discussed. Methods of collecting data in order to create measurable and achievable goals that match the individual’s potential are also provided.

Adults acquiring a new language often face challenges because their speech sounds different, and speech-language pathologists are uniquely suited to help them become more effective communicators in their new language. The nature of non-native accents, aspects of accents to address in therapy, and best practices for the ethical provision of elective accent modification services are described in this course.

Due to speech-language pathologist shortages and more diverse caseloads, monolingual SLPs are increasingly being asked to serve multilingual pediatric populations. Practical resources for conducting a comprehensive evaluation and use of the resulting information to differentiate communication differences and disorders are described in this course. Common questions and challenges, such as use of interpreters, are also discussed.

The literature on voice and communication therapy for the transgender community remains overly broad, with little to no research focusing on the bilingual transgender voice experience and clients' entire identity, including ethnicity. This course discusses vocal cultural characteristics and why they must be considered in order for SLPs to develop cultural competence and effectively work with the bilingual transgender population.

An introduction to transforming voice and communication for individuals who identify as transgender, non-binary and gender diverse is provided in this course. Cultural competence - including terminology and medical considerations - and evidence-based practices for assessment and treatment of pitch, resonance, and nonverbal communication across the gender spectrum are also addressed.

The ways in which cultural and linguistic diversity impacts service delivery for stuttering in children are discussed in this course. A review of the research on this topic is provided, along with a discussion of how diversity affects the presentation of stuttering, and best practices for providing a culturally-responsive stuttering assessment for children.