Expert Practice: A Critical Discourse

Professor Ferguson's book is the only currently available work to address the needs of experienced speech-language pathologists who are seeking to further their professional development through a deep approach to the integration of theory with practice.

Her book examines a series of key issues for the expert speech-language pathologist through the lens of critical discourse analysis, in order to offer the opportunity for critical reflection with a view to change. Looking first at practice, the book reconsiders a central and longstanding area for debate amongst expert practitioners, which could be summed as the "difference versus disorder" debate. She approaches this issue through considering the social context in which speech-language pathology exists and the social roles and functions which speech-language pathologists serve. Thereafter, she critically examines student learning and curriculum development, taking the view that a primary role for the expert practitioner is that of educator of future speech-language pathologists, whether in a clinical educator role or within an academic setting. A critical perspective is argued to be essential for the educator if we are to avoid "cloning" ourselves and our practices. In every chapter, in order to provide concrete illustration and practical direction for the reader in considering the issues, the book works with a number of situations and texts from the author's own research in the area of adult communication disorders of neurological origin and the work of colleagues in other areas of child speech and language disorders.