Speech Therapist - Johannesburg at ADvTECH

Duties and Responsibilities:

Clinical Responsibilities

• Plan and deliver a student-centred speech therapy service to a personal caseload of students and their families/carer to promote social engagement and interaction, speech and language development and alternative and augmentative communication.
• Assess students applying for future placements and identify their needs and make recommendations based on outcomes.
• Gather data using a range of speech and language, and communication assessments, to ensure an accurate understanding of the nature of a child’s communication difficulty.
• Provide specialist differential diagnosis of specific communication disorders in children.
• Formulate intervention plans from thorough assessment results with individuals and their family and carers as required to bring about positive change.
• Development of oral motor programmes to promote safe and appropriate eating and drinking skills.
• Develop treatment plans consistent with the Individual Educational Plan (IEP).
• Review therapy goals and objectives and make recommendations for changes as appropriate.
• Recommend and implement support/intervention plan based on individual needs.
• Discuss treatment proposal with parent/carer and obtain informed consent for interventions.
• Monitor, evaluate and modify treatment in order to measure progress and ensure effectiveness of intervention.
• Prepare written evaluations and maintain records for each case as per the HPCSA’s requirement.
• Effectively communicates test results, diagnosis and proposed treatment plans to parents and Principal.
• Operate and maintain a variety of therapeutic equipment and train others in use of the equipment as necessary.
• Assess, select and develop augmentative and/or alternative communication systems and provides training in their use.
• Participate in hearing screening programs to identify and refer students with suspected hearing impairment and/or middle ear disorders.
• Communicate with students who have disorders of communication, their families, carers and other service providers relative to the student's disability and its management.
• Assist in development of classroom activities to meet the communication needs of the student.
• Communicate with appropriate agencies, schools and other organisations as needed in order to meet the needs of students with communication disabilities.
• Assist with transitions to primary, intermediate and secondary schools and to environments beyond school following best practice.
• Provide support, advice, and guidance to other specialist teachers working with children with special needs.
• Provide advice and/or guidance to staff and administrators in learning facilities, carers and other client groups as required. 

Communication

• Communicate and liaise effectively with other professionals, students, family/carers and other agencies to ensure an integrated pattern of service delivery. Use formal and informal reporting mechanisms to ensure effective communication.
• Use verbal and nonverbal communication to receive and disseminate clinical information, acknowledging sensitivity and complexity e.g. adult/ child safeguarding issues, and using approaches appropriate to the context or culture. Use effective interpersonal skills to encourage students’ and families’/carers’ active participation in the speech therapy process.
• Attend and contribute to department meetings, including multi-disciplinary- and Therapy team meetings, and progress meetings relating to clinical caseload.
• Record students’ treatment and other related activity in accordance with professional and departmental guidelines.
• Build and sustain relationships as an independent practitioner and collaboratively as a member of the team. 

Professional Development

• Remain informed on developments and trends in speech therapy practice by study of the current literature available and to adapt own working practices accordingly.
• Develop clinical, managerial and teaching skills via continuous professional development (CPD), including maintenance of an up to date CPD portfolio.
• Attend and contribute to regular supervision sessions and participate in performance reviews.
• Attend mandatory training for moving and handling, first aid, and safeguarding children.
• Remain current concerning instructional and technological advances and other matters concerning speech-language therapy. Attend and participate in professional workshops and conferences. Provide in-service training to other professionals and paraprofessionals.
• Maintain own professional registration as a practicing professional with the Health Care Professions Council as a Speech Therapist. 

Service Development and Delivery

• Collect, collate and analyse workload statistics required for departmental purposes and for service reviews.
• Report to Principal of changes in trends related to caseload activity.
• Provide services which are sensitive to the needs of the culture and diversity of individual students and their families/ carers.
• Advise and collaborate with the Principal in further development/consolidation of services, to contribute to service reviews, and to hold responsibility for defined projects.
• Lead and contribute to the development of collaborative working practices with team and other therapy staff.
• Develop and consolidate protocols and guidelines regarding service delivery.
• Competencies (Skills and Behavioural Attributes)
• Please note: The norm in the industry is to not have more than 7 Skills and Behavioural Attributes per job profile.

Minimum Requirements:

• Education (Formal Qualification Required)

Minimum

• BA or BSc Speech-Language Pathology
• Legal Requirements (e.g. Driver’s License, Blasting Certificate, etc.)

Minimum

• Professional Registration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) or South African Speech-Language-Hearing Association (SASLA)
• Training and Knowledge (Should the current incumbent leave)

Minimum

• 6 months

Ideal 

• Experience (Minimum Experience Required – type and number of years)
• Minimum
• Speech-Language Pathology and experience with special needs pupils - 3 years
• Senior Speech Therapist - 5 years
• Beginner Speech Therapist - 1-3 years