Cultural competence is essential for working with clients of different cultural backgrounds. The speech language pathologists (SLPs) should take into account these cultural similarities and differences in order to provide the most effective assessment (ASHA, n.d.). One of the crucial limitations that should always be considered is language. It is essential to understand that every client has a different level of English fluency, and therefore, it is required that clients are provided with resources written in their preferred languages or they can use an interpreter’s services. Another raising issue is gender inclusivity, which includes the usage of gender-neutral terms and the clarification of pronouns (ASHA, n.d.). Such cultural responsiveness is the vital component for any professional interaction that allows an individual treatment of the client.
The special importance of these competencies in rehabilitation services, such as SLP, is due to the fact that inappropriate interpretations of patients’ competence due to cultural barriers can lead to misdiagnosis. Hence, the minorities can be at a disadvantage due to the differences in perception of disability, independence, decision-making, and gender roles (Grandpierre et al., 2018). For example, some non-Western cultures do not strive towards patient independence, as it is considered that the families should be responsible for taking care of the patient in any case.
The effectiveness of the cultural responsiveness interventions is another question that recent research devoted many efforts to. Cultural awareness and sensitivity training, racial and ethnic synchronization between SLP and a client, the use of language interpreters, and the incorporation of the beliefs and practices of clients are among valuable initiatives (Hasnain et al., 2011). Thus, although many cultural barriers can be faced, it is possible to deal with them successfully.
References
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.). Cultural Competence. Web.
Grandpierre, V., Milloy, V., Sikora, L., Fitzpatrick, E., Thomas, R., & Potter, B. (2018). Barriers and facilitators to cultural competence in rehabilitation services: A scoping review. BMC health services research, 18(1).
Hasnain, R., Kondratowicz, D. M., Borokhovski, E., Nye, C., Balcazar, F., Portillo, N., Hanz, K., Johnson, T., & Gould, R. (2011). Do cultural competency interventions work: A systematic review on improving rehabilitation outcomes for ethnically and linguistically diverse individuals with disabilities. FOCUS Technical Brief, (31).