Communicating Effectively With Clients During a Speech-Language Pathologist/Interpreter Conference: Results of a Survey

17 1092-5171/02/2901-0017 ABSTRACT: Teams of speech-language pathologists, interpreters, and clients were asked to respond to a survey about the characteristics of an effective conference where the results of a speech-language assessment and recommendations were reported. The goals of the project were to describe practices followed by clinicians to ensure that their professional voice was conveyed effectively to the client despite a language barrier and to assess clients’ satisfaction with the information they received. Questions for the speech-language pathologists and the interpreters were similar and pertained to clarity, accuracy of the information conveyed, and issues of confidentiality, clients’ rights, and the dynamics of the conference (what to do if the client seeks advice directly from the interpreter, what to do if the client brings in a bilingual advocate, and what if the interpreter does not agree with what is said). The speechlanguage pathologists and the interpreters were also asked R Communicating Effectively With Clients During a Speech-Language Pathologist/Interpreter Conference: Results of a Survey