Some issues of Japanese speech-language-hearing therapy education.

Recent trends in Japanese speech-language-hearing (SLH) therapy education are reported. The rapid growth of educational institutions has continued since our last report. The educational curriculum was established by the 1997 certification of Japanese SLH therapists, and is strictly applied to educating both college/university and vocational school students. Over 1,000 students annually become registered SLH therapists, of whom nearly 70% are under the age of 39 years. More therapists are employed full time to serve the adult population, while a limited number of therapists are fully employed to provide services to children. As a member of the economically more advanced nations, Japan receives assistance from foreign workers coming from economically less developed nations. Their children face the difficult tasks of learning both their mother tongue and Japanese. There is a strong need for our profession to assist the early language acquisition of these children because their cognitive and personal development will be greatly influenced by adequate language acquisition. An appeal is made to our colleagues for sharing the mutual tasks of bringing about better linguistic and communicative development in those educationally disadvantaged children.

Issues of Japanese speech therapy education considering the 1995 Guidelines of International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP).

The historical background of the educational system for Japanese speech and language therapists (pathologists) and the challenge facing us today are reviewed. It took nearly 30 years for speech therapists and physicians to come to a consensus in defining the status of speech therapists (pathologists) and their educational curriculum before the 1997 national law for Japanese speech therapists was passed. Despite the formulation of the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP) Education Guidelines of 1995, little attention was paid to incorporate it into the 1997 national law. This paper discusses some challenges in the area of speech therapists' status and education system that exist today.

Japanese speech therapy (logopedics) education after the presentation of the education guidelines in the 1995 IALP general assembly.

The background of the education system for Japanese speech therapists (logopedists) is reported. It took nearly 40 years for speech therapists and medical doctors to come to a consensus in order to define the status and educational system for the 1997 Law for Japanese Speech Therapists. Unfortunately, the IALP Education Guidelines of 1995 received little respect in the process of long negotiation. The present situation and the future goals for Japanese speech therapists are discussed.