JCPSLP
Volume 16, Number 2 2014
49
Policy and practice
M
any of you will be aware that the Australian Senate is currently undertaking
an inquiry into the prevalence of communication impairment across
Australia and the provision of speech pathology services. Some of you
may have contributed submissions to this inquiry. Speech Pathology Australia
prepared a submission highlighting the prevalence and impact of communication
difficulties across the lifespan and the need for holistic and evidence-based service
provision. In order to ensure appropriate service provision, there is a need for policies
that recognise the extent of the need and that enable speech pathology services to
address this through appropriate funds, personnel and infrastructure.
The current issue of
JCPSLP
is timely in that it focuses on the link between policy
and practice. Within this issue, Watter and colleagues explored the way in which
current speech pathology services are delivered in brain injury rehabilitation units,
while Arnott and colleagues investigated current practices in the assessment and
management of central auditory processing disorders. In both studies, information
gathered from this research has the potential to inform future policy development. In
another paper, Lennox and Westerveld evaluated the effectiveness of a pilot program
targeting children’s emergent literacy, which had been designed to accommodate
current policies and subsequent service provision limitations. Trembath discussed
the implications of changes to policy, specifically changes in the DSM-5 relating to
the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders, for speech pathology practice, and
Davis and colleagues described the development of a tool to manage dysphagia
in thrombolysed patients, when no policies/protocols previously existed. Finally,
Hopf provided an overview of service delivery in Fiji and the policies that guide
practice in a Majority World (“developing”) Country. Regular columns such as “Ethical
Conversations”, “Webwords” and the “Top 10” also focused on the relationship
between policy and practice.
Policies, whether they be at a service, state or national level, influence and impact
our work as speech-language pathologists. However, our work as clinicians and
researchers can inform and guide policy development. We hope you enjoy reading
this issue which explores some of the ways in which policy and practice interact in the
field of speech-language pathology.
From the editors
Jane McCormack and Anna Copley
49
From the editors
Contents
