ERIC Number: EJ1391829
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Apr
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0161-1461
EISSN: EISSN-1558-9129
Available Date: N/A
Prioritizing Connectedness and Equity in Speech-Language Services for American Indian and Alaska Native Children
Allison-Burbank, Joshuaa D.; Reid, Traci
Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, v54 n2 p368-374 Apr 2023
Purpose: American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN; Indigenous) students are at a high risk for language and learning disorders. This article aims to highlight how clinicians can use decolonization and Indigenization pedagogies when planning and delivering speech-language services to Indigenous students from the perspectives of Indigenous professionals. These efforts can help promote student resilience, well-being, and identity and are critical to addressing educational inequity and provide culturally responsive services to Indigenous children. Many AI/AN students receive IDEA Part B special education services including speech and language therapy. Many of these students are misidentified as needing special education due to unique learning and language environments (Soto-Boykin et al., 2021). These students bring a unique cultural heritage that is vital to their identity, well-being, health, and school success. Therefore, the goal should be to provide evidence-based services that are culturally tailored and meet the whole child. Using a precision public health approach to consider social determinants of health and historical trauma allows for leveraging of a multilayered, trauma-informed approach to addressing educational inequities. Conclusions: An Indigenous connectedness framework can be used to indicate how connectedness is essential to AI/AN child well-being. This framework can be interlaced with existing learning theories to shape instruction where indigenization is a cornerstone of learning. Further examined was the influence of historical trauma, racism, socioeconomic status, and culture loss on learning and language development in AI/AN children in the context of settler colonialism. Strategies on how to use Indigenous knowledge and evidence-based teaching practices were applied to therapeutic services offered by speech-language pathologists and educators.
Descriptors: American Indian Students, Alaska Natives, Equal Education, Speech Language Pathology, Speech Therapy, Indigenous Knowledge, Cultural Relevance, Special Education, Cultural Influences, Cultural Capital, Evidence Based Practice, Racism, Trauma, Socioeconomic Status, Cultural Maintenance, Colonialism, Decolonization, Student Needs
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 2200 Research Blvd #250, Rockville, MD 20850. Tel: 301-296-5700; Fax: 301-296-8580; e-mail: lshss@asha.org; Web site: http://lshss.pubs.asha.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A