The Prof is In

[ Contents | Search | Next | Previous | Up ]


Re: Why don't SLPs teach improving comm. skills?

From: Vivian Sisskin
Date: 13 Oct 2011
Time: 08:01:29 -0500
Remote Name: 173.66.20.142

Comments

Gerald, Thanks for posing this question. I sometimes wonder about that too! I think that more recently, communication skills ARE included in the treatment plan. I tend to individualize those goals based on the client’s needs, some would like to improve the ability to engage in small talk, others would like to be more expressive as a speaker, others want to be more spontaneous in the way they approach conversational interaction. I have no doubt that some clinicians do not include these goals, but I wonder if we are seeing an effect of the client’s perception? I have had an opportunity to talk with clients who had been treated by clinicians who I know DO address communication skills. But when the client is asked what he/she worked on, they inevitably tell me the specific motor or desensitization strategies they learned! I think that reduced struggle and reduced fear/avoidance are more likely to be on the radar of PWS. Improved communication is perhaps a less dramatic change in their lives??


Last changed: 10/22/11