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Abstract
The field of speech-language pathology in the Philippines has come a long way since its inception in 1978. This article provides an overview of the profession, including a description of the distribution, work settings, and scope of practice of the speech-language pathologists in the Philippines. It highlights the strengths and unique aspects of the profession such as the experience of working with bi-/multilingual clients, honed clinical reasoning, family involvement, and exposure to inter- and transdisciplinary approaches to service delivery. Further, this paper discusses issues and challenges that need to be addressed for continued growth of the profession.
Copyright (c) 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel
Key Words
Speech-language pathology profession * Philippines, other cultural/linguistic population
The field of speech-language pathology in the Philippines was established in 1978. In the 23 years of its existence, a number of changes and developments have transpired; however, other things have remained the same. The University of the Philippines-Manila (UPM) continues to be the only institution in the country that grants a degree in speechlanguage pathology. The university offers a Bachelor of Science in Speech Pathology (BSSP), a 4-year program, which is the minimum requirement to practice the profession in the Philippines. While it is an undergraduate degree, the requirements are similar to the Master's-level speech-language pathology programs in other countries (i.e., USA). One unique feature of this program is a course and a practicum in the transdisciplinary approach to service delivery in a rural community in addition to experience in interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches. Over the years, there has been an increase in the number of enrollees in the program - from less than 5 per year to the 25-30 at present. There are approximately 200 graduates of the BSSP program to date. 75 % are working as speech-- language pathologists (SLPs); others have retired or switched to careers in other fields. A small number of graduates have pursued graduate education in speech-language pathology or audiology in other countries (usually the US or Australia). In a 1995 survey of practicing SLPs (n = 41), 63.4% were in private practice, others worked in clinics or hospitals (48.8%), special schools (43.9%), the academe (14.6 %), and regular private schools (12.2 %) [1]. This distribution holds true to the present.