As a former SLT (practising in the early 2000s) I can only face-palm in disbelief. I’m sorry to hear you’ve had this experience. Ironically, when I was training SLTs circa 2006-2010, graduate SLTs were struggling to find employment with the MoE, as the country went from training 30 therapists per year to around 80. As far as resourcing goes, “special education” is just not a priority for successive governments, so there is never enough funding and the pay and conditions are so poor as to not make it a desirable career choice.
Have you thought about getting in touch with the NZSTA (the body that oversees speech-language therapy in Aotearoa); they may be able to connect you with local services who are more appropriate. While I acknowledge it won’t help your daughter, it may be worthwhile sharing your experience with training providers (Canterbury, Auckland, and Massey) to improve their training, research, and - from the NZSTA - accreditation requirements.
During lockdown I was doing an Audiology degree (I failed but that's another story). When it came to paediatric audiology tests, the word lists were all English words like cat, hat, rain, etc. I looked at the Pasifika boy who was in front of me, and thought, he won't have any relation to these lists, so he won't 'hear'.
I lobbied the Audiology Society to start developing more appropriate words lists - and fortunately the then President took up the baton. Not sure where it has got to. And yeah, I absolutely agree with you in terms of appropriate materials.
NZSTA is actively working to address this (I know, as I was on the board.) There is an amazing bi-cultural competency course (Te Rito) available to all members for free, at significant financial cost to the organisation.
All SLTs who are members of NZSTA also required to complete a certain number of hours every year of bicultural professional development and/or contribution.
The NZSTA also held our bi-annual symposium as a noho Marae experience at Te Wānanga o Raukawa in Otaki this year.
Cultural competency is also a big part of the SLT training programmes in Aotearoa.
Of course, this cannot address chronic underfunding in the learning support sector, as well as a bottom-heavy workforce of SLTs with limited experience employed within the education sector, as so many experienced SLTs get burned out and fed up with not being able to provide the service they would like to and leave.
I don’t know what your daughters needs are: from what you’ve said, it sounds like language rather than speech. Speech is the area where I have developed the majority of my resources available to the public.
Please feel free to have a look at my website www.speechteacher.co.nz to see if there is anything there that you think would help support your daughter’s communication development, let me know and I will gift it to you.
I’m sorry this is happening. It’s not OK and many are suffering needlessly as a result.
Thanks Polly. It seems this is a major issue that has been bubbling away for some time, and it's popped up again. The lack of honesty re lack of service has meant parents and advocacy orgs haven't been able to engage in the type of collective advocacy pressure needed to increase funding etc - which is a real shame
Yes: it has been going on for longer than my career as a SLT (18 years.)
It’s not on and it needs to change.
It is negatively affecting our children, their families, their teachers and the ones who are employed to, and desperate to support them properly, but are being blocked from doing so.
Kia ora and thank you for sharing Dr Bex. I know you have said before how it is a struggle for you who has resources, knows how to navigate the system and write an articulate and firm letter or 2. For whanau who do not have the resources, confidence or headspace to take on the system, well it is just gutting to know there is no equity here. I worked in health and saw just how difficult it was to navigate or access medical services for whanau, minimal to no equity there either. Yet we are all equal, so says Seymour! Stories like yours need to be discussed in mainstream media to demonstrate just how ridiculous the notion of we are all equal is!
As a former SLT (practising in the early 2000s) I can only face-palm in disbelief. I’m sorry to hear you’ve had this experience. Ironically, when I was training SLTs circa 2006-2010, graduate SLTs were struggling to find employment with the MoE, as the country went from training 30 therapists per year to around 80. As far as resourcing goes, “special education” is just not a priority for successive governments, so there is never enough funding and the pay and conditions are so poor as to not make it a desirable career choice.
Have you thought about getting in touch with the NZSTA (the body that oversees speech-language therapy in Aotearoa); they may be able to connect you with local services who are more appropriate. While I acknowledge it won’t help your daughter, it may be worthwhile sharing your experience with training providers (Canterbury, Auckland, and Massey) to improve their training, research, and - from the NZSTA - accreditation requirements.
Thanks Matt, those are great ideas, thank you! It's hard being in the thick of if, but yes, I shall quietly follow up and see what shakes out
During lockdown I was doing an Audiology degree (I failed but that's another story). When it came to paediatric audiology tests, the word lists were all English words like cat, hat, rain, etc. I looked at the Pasifika boy who was in front of me, and thought, he won't have any relation to these lists, so he won't 'hear'.
I lobbied the Audiology Society to start developing more appropriate words lists - and fortunately the then President took up the baton. Not sure where it has got to. And yeah, I absolutely agree with you in terms of appropriate materials.
Thank you so much for sharing, this is so very encouraging to hear!
NZSTA is actively working to address this (I know, as I was on the board.) There is an amazing bi-cultural competency course (Te Rito) available to all members for free, at significant financial cost to the organisation.
All SLTs who are members of NZSTA also required to complete a certain number of hours every year of bicultural professional development and/or contribution.
The NZSTA also held our bi-annual symposium as a noho Marae experience at Te Wānanga o Raukawa in Otaki this year.
Cultural competency is also a big part of the SLT training programmes in Aotearoa.
Of course, this cannot address chronic underfunding in the learning support sector, as well as a bottom-heavy workforce of SLTs with limited experience employed within the education sector, as so many experienced SLTs get burned out and fed up with not being able to provide the service they would like to and leave.
I don’t know what your daughters needs are: from what you’ve said, it sounds like language rather than speech. Speech is the area where I have developed the majority of my resources available to the public.
Please feel free to have a look at my website www.speechteacher.co.nz to see if there is anything there that you think would help support your daughter’s communication development, let me know and I will gift it to you.
I’m sorry this is happening. It’s not OK and many are suffering needlessly as a result.
Thanks Polly. It seems this is a major issue that has been bubbling away for some time, and it's popped up again. The lack of honesty re lack of service has meant parents and advocacy orgs haven't been able to engage in the type of collective advocacy pressure needed to increase funding etc - which is a real shame
Yes: it has been going on for longer than my career as a SLT (18 years.)
It’s not on and it needs to change.
It is negatively affecting our children, their families, their teachers and the ones who are employed to, and desperate to support them properly, but are being blocked from doing so.
Kia ora and thank you for sharing Dr Bex. I know you have said before how it is a struggle for you who has resources, knows how to navigate the system and write an articulate and firm letter or 2. For whanau who do not have the resources, confidence or headspace to take on the system, well it is just gutting to know there is no equity here. I worked in health and saw just how difficult it was to navigate or access medical services for whanau, minimal to no equity there either. Yet we are all equal, so says Seymour! Stories like yours need to be discussed in mainstream media to demonstrate just how ridiculous the notion of we are all equal is!