Final Paper

Hannah Motschke
Eng 191 #21
Final Paper
12/15/09

Speech Pathology in China vs. the United States

Speech-language pathology is a pivotal discipline. “The role that speech pathologists play is a vital one. Among the most important functions perhaps be for children who speak late, people who are trying to improve their communication skills, and people who require speech rehabilitation.” (Article Doctor, 2008-2009) Communication is an essential facet of life for people around the globe. It is the foundation of humanity as people express their needs, desires, thoughts and emotions through speech. The Medical Dictionary (1996-2009) defines speech-language pathology or speech therapy as “The treatment of speech and communication disorders. The approach used depends on the disorder. It may include physical exercises to strengthen the muscles used in speech (oral-motor work), speech drills to improve clarity, or sound production practice to improve articulation.” Due to the importance of communication in daily life, speech-language pathology is a profession that is practiced around the world. Speech language pathologists strive to provide services to all populations in an effort to ensure everyone’s communicative abilities are at his/her greatest potential. Although there are speech pathologists in most countries around the globe, there are variations within the profession. Not all speech pathologists have the same educational background or belong to the same professional organizations. Therefore, in the interest of learning more about the variations of the profession between countries, specifically focusing on China and the United States, a comparison of the elements of the profession in these two regions will be discussed.
The first area of discussion is educational requirements. In China, a well known undergraduate program for a Bachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing Sciences is offered at the University of Hong Kong. It is a four year program. Required courses in the undergraduate program include: anatomy and physiology, behavioral science, language science, communication disorders and case studies. It is a rigorous and honorable program. There are a few prerequisites that have to be met before being accepted into the program including: grade E or above in either HKCEE Chinese Language or AS Chinese Language and Culture, and grade E or above in either biology / human biology in HKCEE or a pass in HKALE biology or zoology. (Faulty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Programs 2008) A graduate degree in Speech and Hearting Sciences is not required in China to practice as a speech language pathologist. Graduates of the undergraduate degree can legally practice in the profession.
In the United States, a similar four year undergraduate program is offered in many universities throughout the country. A typical title for the degree is Communication Sciences and Disorders. Courses that are part of the curriculum include: linguistics, speech science, language development/disorders, phonetics, neurology, articulation disorders, anatomy and physiology and hearing science. “Some clinical courses, especially those related to disorders of articulation, language, voice, fluency, and hearing also may be taken at the undergraduate level.” (Hedge & Davis, 2005, p.6) Differing from China, a minimum of a master’s degree is required to practice as a speech pathologist in the U.S. Therefore, all students pursuing the degree must attend at least a two year speech-language pathology graduate program. A four year doctoral program in speech-language pathology is the terminal degree. “A PhD in speech-language pathology is typically acquired for in-depth research into a particular area of interest.” (All Allied Health Schools, 2002-2009)
There are many universities in the United States that also offer graduate programs for speech-language pathology. Specifically in MN there are five accredited programs. To be accepted into graduate program for speech-language pathology, a student must complete the GRE (Graduate Record Examination). A student must additionally consider if they want to attend an accredited graduate program. “The Council of Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) is the entity within the American Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) that accredits clinical doctoral programs in audiology and master's programs in speech-language pathology that prepare graduates for entry into professional practice.” (American Speech Language and Hearing Association, Graduate School, 1997-2009) Accrediation is an important feature to take into account because many states require graduation from an accredited program for licensure or teacher certification. Wikipedia, Speech-Language Pathology (2009), states that “The graduate degree work to acquire a master's in Speech-Language Pathology is rigorous and demanding, requiring many hours of supervised clinical practice, and intensive didactic coursework in medical sciences, phonetics, linguistics, phonology, scientific methodology, and other subjects.” Before receiving a graduate degree, students are expected to participate in clinical practicum in a variety work settings including university clinics, medial settings (hospitals and nursing homes), and public schools. (Burrus and Haynes, 2009, p. 16) Practicum is a standard requirement for students in any accredited graduate programs in the United States.
In China, because a graduate degree in speech and hearing sciences is not required to practice in the profession, there are limited graduate programs in this discipline in the country. However, students with a Bachelors of Science in Speech and Hearing Sciences can apply to graduate programs outside of the country such as in Australia and the United States. The University of Hong Kong does not offer a master’s program in speech-language pathology, although it does offer a two year master’s program in audiology. Audiology is “A rapidly developing specialty involved in the prevention, identification and assessment of hearing disorders and the rehabilitation of persons with hearing impairment.” (Faculty of Education The University of Hong Kong, Programs, 2008) It is a closely related field to speech-language pathology. These two professions work together to ensure the client’s auditory system and speech mechanisms are functioning properly and collaborating to provide the client with the desired communicative skills.
Not only do smiliair professions team up and share their expertise to serve client’s needs, but also professionals in the same occupation work closely together and form exclusive organizations. These organizations give people of the same profession an outlet to share knowledge, give advice, and act as a support system. In the profession of Speech-Language Pathology, there are many different organizations available. The American Speech Language and Hearing Association is the most recognized organization in the United States for speech-language pathologists (SLPs). “The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association is the professional, scientific, and credentialing association for 135,000 members and affiliates who are speech-language pathologists, audiologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists in the United States and internationally.” (American Speech Language and Hearing Association, About AHSA, 1997-2009) Their mission is to give power to the previously mentioned professions by “Advocating on behalf of persons with communication and related disorders, advancing communication science, and promoting effective human communication” (American Speech Language and Hearing Association, About ASHA, 1997-2009) Another organization specific to Minnesota is the Minnesota Speech-Language-Hearing Association (MSHA). “It is a nonprofit professional organization of speech-language pathologists and audiologists that promotes the welfare of individuals with communication disorders and represents the professionals who serve them.” (Minnesota Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2009) In China, there are also organizations for people in the field including The Hong Kong Association of Speech Therapists (HKAST) and the Asia Pacific Society for the Study Speech, Language and Hearing. HKAST is an association created to “promote and safeguard the interests of members of the association, maintain professional standards of speech therapy services in Hong Kong, establish and maintain contact with other members of the speech therapy profession in Hong Kong, and establish and maintain communication with overseas speech therapy associations.” (The Hong Kong Society of Speech Therapists, 2007)
Another incentive of the professional organizations in both countries is that SLPs can learn about the latest research of treatment methods and they can also share their own successes or disappointments concerning a method through the organizations. It is a system from SLPs to communicate and share their ideas. There are thousands of methods for treatment in speech therapy. Methods of treatment are chosen by an SLP after certain information is taken into considered including: the disorder, age of the client, client’s health status, and client’s cognitive abilities. Many of the treatment methods are not specific to one country. They are techniques that are universal and can be used by SLPs around the world; although, there can be modifications made to the techniques depending on the SLP that is using them and the language spoken. A widely used method of teaching is modeling especially in treating articulation, language and voice disorders. “Modeling is the clinician’s production of a client’s target response. Clinical research has shown that modeling is an effective procedure in establishing many kinds of target behaviors.” (Hedge and Davis, 2005, p. 253) Another treatment method specifically for adults who stutter is behavioral cognitive therapy. “It is the strongest evidence base for stuttering treatments in adulthood. In these treatments, clients learn one of a number of novel speech patterns generically referred to as prolonged speech. The changes to speech production that occur with this speech restructuring enable the speaker to suppress stuttering to varying degrees.” (Menzies, Onslow, Packman & O’Brian, 2009) Finally, an effective method that is used when a child or adult is displaying an isolated misarticulation of a phoneme such as “s,” is the sound modification method. “The sound modification method is based on the concept of utilizing a similar, appropriately articulated sound to aid in the production of a misarticulated sound. A similar sound refers to one that is comparable in some of its phonetic production features.” (Bauman-Waengler, 2008, p. 267) These are examples of a few therapy methods implemented by speech-language pathologists in therapy; however, there are countless more techniques used in the profession.
Speech language pathology is a growing profession as more research is being conducting to gain information about the complexity of the speech mechanisms and the success rate of certain therapy methods. According to The Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong (2008), “In China, both employment and postgraduate educational prospects are good.” The career prospect is excellent, clinical positions are available in hospitals, special schools, special child care centers and charity organizations. Research positions are also available at local and overseas universities.” In the United States the job outlook is very similar. As stated by Bureau of Labor Statistics, Speech-Language Pathologists (2008-2009), “The combination of growth in the occupation and an expected increase in retirements over the coming years should create excellent job opportunities for speech-language pathologists. Job prospects also are expected to be especially favorable for those who are willing to relocate, particularly to areas experiencing difficulty in attracting and hiring speech-language pathologists.”
In summary, there are many similarities among the profession of speech-language pathology in China and the United. There is a slight discrepancy in the educational standards and the level of education required to practice in the profession and the organizations affiliated with the profession; however, the therapy techniques used and the job prospects for the professionals in both countries are very much alike. Recently, there has been a strong effort to collaborate the knowledge and skills of speech-language pathologists worldwide. Speech-language pathologists are working together in the profession to offer the best services possible to clients. There have been international conferences on speech therapy held to bring together speech-language pathologists and to discuss clinical applications dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of speech, hearing, language, and swallowing disorders. Speech-language pathology is very complex profession that involves the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of disorders. Therefore, the profession will only grow stronger as countries about the world come together and share their knowledge of areas in the profession and their latest research. The countries will learn from each other and gain insight of the most effective ways to rehabilitate the communicative needs of the human population.

















Resources
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Chinese Cuisine

Chinese cuisine is a essential part of the Chinese culture. The cuisine has evolved throughout Chinese history.
I. Traditional Chinese dishes
a. Dumpling-how it is prepared
b. Steamed rice- how it is prepared
c. Dim sum- how it is prepared
II. Use of food in celebrations and social gatherings
a. Birthdays
b. New Years
III. How Chinese food has been influenced by other cultures
a. American Chinese buffets
VI. Special meanings of food
a. Birthday noodles- will have long and smooth life
b. Spring rolls- golden color symbolizes money
V. Nutritional information of typical Chinese diet
a. food is fried or steamed
b. fruits and vegetables
c. Obesity in China vs the U.S.