| Abstract [eng] |
The study has analysed peculiarities of a speech therapist activities at a national minorities‘ school. The empirical survey was carried out aiming to examine and reveal specific features of the speech therapist activities at a national minorities school. The analysis of a theoretical part of a speech therapist‘s activities at a national minorities‘ school has allowed to reveal such aspects: specifics of professional activities, competences, roles and responsibilities necessary in providing speech therapist‘s support. Data of the empirical survey was collected by semi-structured interview and analysis of documents methods in order to analyse schools‘ with national minorities, where teaching is conducted in Russian and Polish languages, working there speech therapists‘ experience, students‘ having speech disorders, and their parents‘assessments of speech therapist‘s pecularities as well as factors which affect peculiarities of speech therapist activities. To confirm the interview data it was accomplished the analysed list of learners, who study at schools of national minorities, with speech disorders. The most important empirical survey conclusions that were drawn are: The specifics of professional activities is primarily featured in a speech therapist becoming an active member of the community at national minorities‘ school. The main competences of the speech therapist profession are oriented to providing support for the multilingual children. Speech therapists in Lithuania have not been trained to work at one or another particular school. Nevertheless, in respect of the needs of learners, studying at national minorities‘ schools, substantial are these speech therapist‘s competences: communication with the community of minorities and with the interpreters, knowledge of multilingual learners‘ culture (subculture), assessing speech therapist development, identifying disorders and overcoming them, families consulting, usage of international scientific information data about peculiarities of national minorities cultural and language distinctiveness. The analysis of the survey data suggests that the peculiarities of speech therapist activities at national minority’s school are influenced by the following interrelated factors: a policy, a culture and a practice of the national minority’s school. The attitudes of a school principal, community, a child and his/ her family towards the significance of speech therapist‘s support, the readiness of the speech therapist to work at the school of national minorities, availability of experience and exposure of competences, are essential. The ability to identify and meet specific requirements of students from various cultures with speech disorders, to reveal family‘s characteristics, dynamics, cultural traditions, specific needs as well as expectations leads to the effectiveness of the speech therapist activities. The survey has shown that activities of the speech therapist at school of national minorities are various and broader than provided in the speech therapist‘s support list, in the description of the procedure for qualification requirements and in the description of the speech therapist profession. Speech therapists experience difficulties caused by the lack of the specific knowledge of different languages, links, singularities, cultural traditions and distinguishing communication, limited competence to separate the difficulties of multilingualism from the symptoms of the speech disorder. The results of the survey can be relevant for preparing a speech therapist to work at school of national minorities, for updating of speech therapist job regulations and for the description of the profession. |
