Since this blog was started in 2012, I've discovered that I can and do get lost in the forest of ideas I've published - 133 posts so far! Following is a list of principles that I have tried to follow with these blog entries. And, in the spirit of the post title, these ideas may seem rough and raw, but there's a lot of flavor in each position I've taken in posts. So, what does this blog believe? Please be patient with the bullet points. They can make a narrative choppy, but each concept is like a bite of the raw ingredient - equally yummy, and we hope you agree. Comments on these posts are always welcome. .
* The communication sciences and disorders (CSD) professions, whether audiologist, teacher of the deaf, or speech-language pathologist, develop highly specialized practitioners who work in basic science and evidence - based practice;
* College graduates take the jobs in CSD, yet they serve persons of all ages, educational and social levels, cultures and needs. The persons served deserve their needs to be met, as they see them.
* Evidence - based practice (EBP) exists as an equilibrium of clinical knowledge, scientific evidence, and the expressed needs of persons served;
* The three - legged stool of EBP is realistic about how CSD professionals make day - to - day decisions in their work.
* External scientific evidence (eg randomized controlled treatment trials) is held up as a gold standard of proof for effective clinical intervention;
* The randomized controlled trials have not been done for some clinical interventions. Will you participate in such a study, or will less robust evidence suffice to guide your clinical work?
* Clinical knowledge and experience allow the therapeutic alliance of client and therapist, to craft an ideal plan for behavioral change;
* Ask your consumer, "How will you know when you're better?", or "How will you know if what we do is working?". This perspective may help identify the discrete goals the consumer has in mind.
* The needs and wishes of persons served by CSD intervention should remain primary for the clinical practitioner;
* Buy - in for the plan of care by the consumer, and by the circles of support, helps the CSD professional offer a broad range of interventions to meet the goals identified;
* The CSD practitioner, through focus upon the goals that encompass a plan of care, helps persons served attain the best quality of life;
* The CSD consumer builds a quality of life through high - quality services, that helps the consumer gain more control over life's outcomes;
* The quality of life for persons served by CSD professionals increases along with increased bodily function;
* At times the CSD practitioner treats the impairment of persons served; at other times, treatment is at the level of activity; still other times require treatment of participation;
This line of argument should lead you to think about the WHO International Classification of Function (ICF), which for me has been a major anchor for my clinical work over the past 20 years.
More on that later! Let's leave you with another bite:
