Kendal Vairo

Philosophy Statement

Creating a philosophy about speech-language pathology has been something

that has evolved for me throughout my undergraduate and graduate journey.

Developing a philosophy about how I view speech-language pathology will also

influence the role I play within the profession as a clinician. I aspire to be a professional

that aids my patients in achieving their communication and daily living goals.

As a future speech-language pathologist, I hope to instill the necessary skills my

patients need to communicate efficiently and meaningfully participate in their daily lives.

My goal as a professional is to build respectful and trusting relationships with my

patients and other professionals while using my talents to treat communication and

feeding/swallowing disorders. I ultimately want to impact the lives of others positively

and maybe one day inspire someone else to choose this field of study. Concepts that

will be beneficial to my success and goal accomplishments will be theory application,

investigation, evidence-based practice, and cultural competence.

Theory and investigation are necessary for successful diagnosis and treatment.

These two concepts are what creates the foundation of the treatment process. Being

able to see the bigger picture regarding patients’ diagnosing factors, values, morals,

and norms help a clinician apply various diagnostic and treatment theories to provide

the best treatment possible. It is in the ASHA Code of Ethics that as professionals, we

preserve the welfare of our patients and remain lifelong learners to ensure appropriate

services are delivered, and cultural sensitivity is respected. Evidence-based practice is

something that also comes into play under this concept. Janet Patterson, an ASHA
member who has appraised studies for the evidence-based practice system of Level of

Evidence (LOE) stated, “SLPs regularly make decisions about treatment plans while

under constraints of government, education, and financial agencies. Information from

this LOE system, which is a trusted source for evidence, will aid clinicians making those

decisions” (Mullen, 2007). Knowing how to navigate this system on ASHA to locate

vetted information on diagnosis and treatment will allow me to continue to learn,

become knowledgeable of new practices, and build confidence in my clinical decision-

making process.

Before my experiences in graduate school, I had limited knowledge of cultural

competence. I believe it is essential to be aware and respectful of a person’s identity,

values, morals, and perspective of disability. During my clinical experience, I have been

able to encounter people from very diverse cultures than my own. I have come to know

how important it is to be appreciative and responsive to different cultural norms. I still

have a lot to learn, but I am now knowledgeable of how to research different cultural

beliefs, values, and standards when I encounter a client or family with a cultural

background I am not familiar with. Developing cultural competence is something that is

continuous and requires ongoing self-assessment (ASHA, 2020). Doing so will help me

form a rapport with my clients and their families because I will not misjudge them nor be

insensitive to their cultural attitudes. I have also learned that these cultural attitudes may

impact my ability to provide services and dictate the type of services provided, so it is

my responsibility as a professional to respect their wishes and communicate with

compassion and understanding.

 “Communication is so much more than speech” (Bratti, 2010). My time servicing

clients in the school system as a student clinician has also allowed me to gain an

appreciation for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices and how

they aid persons to communicate their daily wants and needs. An assumption of AAC is

that the success of an AAC solution depends on the cognitive and linguistic skills as

well as the motivation of the AAC user. Although true, it is crucial the communication

partner and their environment play a crucial role in the success (Loncke, 2014). Not only

is this true for AAC communication, but the concept of educating family, caregivers, and

communication partners is also something important to include with every therapy

approach.

As a future speech-language pathologist, I will use my knowledge of the “Big 9”

to assess, diagnose, and treat patients regarding each individual's specific needs. It will

be imperative that I advocate for these individuals and the profession as a future

clinician. I believe that it will be important that I create individualized plans of care and

continue to educate myself on service delivery, the scope of practice, and cultural

competence. Doing so will ensure that I am assisting clients to reach their full potential

in their speech, language, social communication, cognitive-communication, and

swallowing goals. I have discovered that helping others is my main goal and will be the

most rewarding part of my career.

 References

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2020). Evidence-Based Practice (EBP). Retrieved from

https://www.asha.org/research/ebp/evidence-based-practice/.

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2020). Cultural Competence. Retrieved from

https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/professional-issues/cultural-competence/.

Bratti, M. (2010). Embracing The Potential Benefits Of Using New Technologies In Children's Speech And Language

Therapy. Retrieved from https://blog.asha.org/2010/11/11/embracing-the-potential-benefits-of-using-new-

technologies-in-children’s-speech-and-language-therapy/.

Loncke, F. (2014). Augmentative and alternative communication: models and applications for educators, speech-

language pathologists, psychologists, caregivers, and users. San Diego, CA: Plural Publishing, Inc.

Mullen, R. (2007). The State of the Evidence: ASHA Develops Levels of Evidence for Communication Sciences and

Disorders. The ASHA Leader, 12(3), 8–25. doi: 10.1044/leader.ftr4.12032007.8