Speak Out Dec 2016 low res final

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28 Speak Out December 2016
“I’m never quite sure how I first came to speech pathology as
a career. From what I remember, I was a bumbling 17-year-old, as
opposed to the current, bumbling 35-year-old – who was looking
at university options and wanted to do good in the world.
“Mum provided the advice that speech pathology may be one
fruitful outlet for those ideals. “You work with people who have
difficulties with talking,” she pointed out, “you know, you help
them.”
“I wouldn’t say I was sold immediately, but that one message was
enough to entice a partially lost and wholly lazy young lad into the
profession. I wanted to help people, and I wanted to give this a
go.
“Fast forward 15 or so years, and I’m still perplexed why blokes
remain outnumbered within speech pathology ranks. While it may
be true that more males than females are attracted to engineering,
chemistry or finance, it is no less true that many males also have
a passion for making a difference to the health and well-being of
those who need it.
“Why, then, have males typically eschewed a career in speech
pathology?
“The first stop in answering this question is to acknowledge the
low-hanging fruit. Medicine is bathed in societal and institutional
prestige, which makes this an especially attractive choice for the
male ego. Physiotherapy has a link with sport, and allows those
of us who are sport-obsessed to team health care with our other
passion.
“While I don’t doubt these to be true, perhaps a deeper truth on
this issue rests with that rarest of species: the male speechie.
Perhaps it is us who haven’t conveyed what a life-changing and
fulfilling career speech pathology can be.
“To those who juggle both nerdy and idealistic sides of their
personality – and, let’s face it, that phrase sounds rather like most
speechies I know – speech pathology has an exceptional story to
tell.
“For those, like me, who work with families who have a child with
developmental disability, we are afforded the truly extraordinary
privilege of developing a close relationship with remarkable
people during their most vulnerable time. We have been taught
highly specialised skills about the ‘what, when and why’ a child’s
development can wander off course, and possess a suite of
innovative methods to help the brain develop.
“That last point cannot be underestimated. Speech pathologists
possess the ability to change the way that the brain functions so
that people can reach their full potential. Nerdiness and idealism?
Tick and tick!
“To my mind, the paucity of blokes in speech pathology is a
reflection of both a lack of awareness within the fraternity of what
a speechie does, and also an obsolete typecast of a desirable
career pathway for male high achievers. I come to this conclusion
simply because I cannot possibly fathom what person, male or
female, wouldn’t want to do this job.
“And, therein lies the solution to what is far from an intractable
issue. The more that blokes talk about the challenges and delights
of working clinically with families, the breath-taking joy at watching
behaviour (and thus, the brain) change before your eyes, and the
unparalleled satisfaction in reflecting that ‘I contributed to that’,
the more that they will be seduced by speech pathology.
“Ultimately, this is challenge to all of us, especially the Davids,
the Matthews and, indeed, the Andrews. Whether using a
megaphone or whisper, the greatest attraction to our profession
will always be the story of what we experience every day.”
You can follow Andrew’s research updates here: www.facebook.
com/TelethonKidsAutismTeam
Why is it that males make up a small
segment of the “speechie” population?
Andrew Whitehouse has discovered
that speech pathology has imeasurable
rewards for both genders.
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