The Speech and Language Therapist’s role in the clinical pathway for hearing loss in children: Relevance of university education and specific competencies
Anna Giulia De Cagno, Sara Panizzolo
This article analyses the relevance of university education for Speech and Language Therapists, the need for continuous professional development and the necessary technical and professional competencies for team collaboration and for clinical management, set according to appropriateness and quality criteria, of the habilitation/rehabilitation process of a complex disorder such as hearing loss in children. Furthermore, the authors outline the main features of diagnosis, rehabilitation and care for deaf children, according to relative international guidelines and recommendations. The authors highlight the relevance of a family-centred intervention and informative and prescriptive counselling when caring for an infant, as the habilitation of a small baby must necessarily pass through the family.
Keywords
Speech and Language Therapist, Education, Continuous professional development, Clinical pathway, Hearing loss in children, Team collaboration.