JCPSLP Vol 19 No 1 2017

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JCPSLP Volume 19, Number 1 2017 17
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to gain valuable insight into the family’s experiences and
strengths. It is important that clinicians working with
Aboriginal families are equipped with the appropriate
knowledge and resources to support families in ensuring
Aboriginal ways of communicating are maintained (McLeod,
Verdon, & Bennetts Kneebone, 2014; Verdon & McLeod,
2015). The elicitation of the child’s home language and
emphasis placed on yarning are instrumental in the
assessment process; otherwise, current standardised
assessment practices may produce assessment results
that determine Indigenous language deficit rather than
Indigenous language difference (Gould, 2008a, 2008b;
Pearce & Williams, 2013).
Conclusion
In most cases in Australia, the current SLP assessment
methodology follows a traditional western approach that
remains static even when assessing different populations.
Aboriginal people place significant importance on yarning
as a mode of communicating and the universal assessment
methodology used by SLPs does not facilitate yarning nor
cater for Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing.
Many SLPs are also unfamiliar with Aboriginal yarning and
talking through story and therefore assessments continue
to be conducted in “conventional” western ways. As a
consequence, Aboriginal ways of communicating are often
undervalued and labelled as a deficit or impairment.
This paper has highlighted the importance of changing
traditional SLP assessment methodologies to incorporate
Aboriginal ways of communicating through a new
methodology called assessment yarning. SLPs need to
develop their literacies in Indigenous knowledges and
Indigenous modes of communication to avoid reifying
Indigenous language deficit. The absence of culturally
responsive assessment methodologies such as yarning
not only runs the risk of mis-/over-diagnosis of speech/
language impairment but it reproduces certain racial
hierarchical arrangements whereby Aboriginal language/
communication styles are framed as inherently deficient
and inferior. Of most importance is the need to ensure
that knowledge of communication difference translates
to proppa assessment and management and mitigates
against the risk of misdiagnosis (Gould, 2008a; Malcolm,
2011). While it is beyond the scope of this paper, further
discussions are required regarding how to support speech
pathologists in accurately analysing an Aboriginal child’s
communication abilities once assessment yarning and the
assessment process have been completed.
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