In response to the gues editorial, "Are We as a Profession Losing Our Heart?" in the April 29 issue, I believe the field of speech-language pathology as a whole is nothing if not heart, soul, and commitment to the populations that we serve. Caring, compassion, and the desire to help others is the reason most of us go into the field of speech-language pathology. Diversifying and expanding the "traditional definitions" of speech-language pathology does nothing but demonstrate our desire to meet the changing needs of the populations that we serve. If we limit ourselves to only getting "as good as we can get" in the areas of "stuttering, voice, and other disorders" then are we really following our heart and doing all that we can to meet the needs of children and adults that we serve?
The laud for research and lack of compassion in treatment must surely be based on the author’s own experiences and are not part of the profession as a whole as I have experienced it.
The new vision of who we are becoming is unfolding daily as we grow to meet the needs of those we serve. But the question of whether or not the path our field is taking has "a heart" should be nothing less than clear. We are "becoming something we want to be" because we do have great heart and compassion for those that we serve.
Angie Neal
Greenville, SC
|