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From: Ellen-Marie Silverman
Date: 17 Oct 2008
Time: 13:41:26 -0500
Remote Name: 64.12.116.9
[[To what extent have misguided beliefs about professional solidarity or a code of silence impeded real advances in the treatment of stuttering and caused coverups of incompetence and flawed research methodologies?]] Hello, Ed. Stirring things up as usual I see . . . smile. I appreciate all your many efforts to help those of us who are speech-language pathologists become better acquainted with our intentions regarding our own and our collective approach to and conduct of professional service. In this matter,though, you must know that speech-language pathologist, like all members of a regulated service profession, experience solidarity in the sense that we subscribe to a code of conduct, or ethics, and that we enjoy the opportunity to meet face-to-face annually for the purpose of maintaining and up-dating our individual and collective skill and knowledge base at our annual Conference. Then there are the special interest groups where we teach and learn from one another, and the journals to which we contribute and which we read . . . So, what's new? Speech-Language pathology shares a structure common to regulated service professions to bring members into and maintain members within a professional community based on common purpose, i.e, to provide high-quality service to the general population. In fact, it would be impossible to conceive of and establish a service profession without a sense of solidarity, i.e., shared purpose. But this doesn't mean speech-language pathology advocates or subscribes to a code of silence. Like all organizations, most of which were instigated, if not structured, by innovators, ASHA might now seem a bit conservative as it seeks to protect its legacy of committment to preparing members to function at at least a satisfactory level. All organizations of which I have become familiar, even artists' leagues, function similarly. So, the long and short of it, Ed, from my perspective, is that ASHA is an organization committed to preparing its members to provide quality service. If you are privy to examples of the application of a code of silence within the profession, especially if you perceive it to have caused harm, then be the whistle-blower. Bring that knowledge to the attention of the appropriate parties. That's the right and, I think, duty of any concerned individual. >>> Best wishes and thank you again for your efforts to help us become more thoughtful, effective practioners. As such, we share a particular solidarity. Sincerely, Ellen-Marie Silverman