SPTH3905 Clinical Skills and Practice 3: Complex Practice

This topic covers acquired communication disorders in adults, children with complex communication and mealtime/feeding needs and counselling. Students are provided with the knowledge and practical skills required to conduct assessment, differential diagnosis, and management of individuals with acquired language disorders, primarily aphasia. Students also focus on complex communication and feeding disorders in children via tutorials and a series of workshops to develop practical observation, analysis and evaluation skills to assess young children and plan appropriate management in partnership with families and other professional groups. Over several sessions, students also learn the principles of and strategies for counselling clients and their families/carers.

This topic aims to:

• Facilitate development of professional knowledge, attitudes and practice in preparation for professional placements
• Begin to develop students' skills relevant to speech pathology practice with complex communication or swallowing disorders, namely to determine the nature and extent of the disorders through careful diagnosis and analysis and determine appropriate intervention
• Introduce the concept of quality improvement/assurance
• Introduce what is meant by having an ethic of care

1. Analyse the impact of complex communication impairment (paediatric or adult) and/or feeding/mealtime issues on an individual’s communication, life participation and psychosocial well-being
2. Experiment with various assessment tools and evaluate an individual’s linguistic and non-linguistic strengths and weaknesses
3. Formulate a client-centred treatment plan based on client preference, assessment results and best practice evidence
4. Practice implementation of various therapy techniques and reflect on skills
5. Devise contingencies for intervention justifying when and why they are needed
6. Demonstrate a basic application of the principles of effective therapeutic communication and basic counselling in their speech pathology practice (including awareness of nonverbal behaviour, reflective listening, open ended questions, appropriate responding, range of models of counselling, principals involved in facilitating change, awareness of issues related to loss, grief and bereavement)
7. Reflect on their own emotional responses to clients with psychological, behavioural or mental health issues and identify how best to seek support and guidance from clinical supervisors and academic staff