A narrative analysis of a speech pathologist's work with Indigenous Australians with acquired communication disorders

Document Type

Journal Article

Publisher

Informa Healthcare

Faculty

Faculty of Health, Engineering and Science

School

School of Psychology and Social Science

RAS ID

18009

Comments

Hersh, D., Armstrong, E., & Bourke, N. (2015). A narrative analysis of a speech pathologist's work with Indigenous Australians with acquired communication disorders. Disability and Rehabilitation, 37(1), 33-40 . https://doi.org/10.3109/09638288.2014.890675

Abstract

Purpose: To explore in detail the narrative of a speech pathologist (SP) working with Indigenous Australian clients with acquired communication disorders following stroke or brain injury. There is some evidence that Indigenous clients do not find speech pathology rehabilitation to be culturally appropriate but, currently, there is very little published on the nature of this service or the experiences of SPs who provide this rehabilitation. Methods: This research uses both thematic and structural narrative analysis of data from a semi-structured, in-depth interview with a SP to examine the adaptations that she made to address the needs of her adult neurological caseload of (mainly) Indigenous Australians from both urban and remote regions. Results: The thematic analysis resulted in a core theme of flexibility and four other sub-themes: awareness of cultural context, client focus/person-centredness, being practical and working ethically. The structural narrative analysis allowed insight into the nature of clinical reasoning in a context lacking predictability and where previous clinical certainties required adaptation. Conclusions: Individual, detailed narratives are useful in exposing the challenges and clinical reasoning behind culturally sensitive practice.

DOI

10.3109/09638288.2014.890675

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