With the support of the Socrates Programme of the European Union
Overview
To ascertain SLTs on the labour market would achieve minimal and equal standards of competence to practice in the field of fluency and fluency disorders, the ECSF consortium developed 2 separate courses:
a) a Ba/Ma curriculum module on fluency and fluency disorders at undergraduate level, and
b) a one-year European post-qualification specialization course.
The Ba/Ma curriculum module, implemented in the undergraduate curriculum of all participating departments, is strongly related to the objectives of the Bologna process, as it harmonizes a large part of the educational program of the participating SLT departments.
Each department is free to plan this part in his individual curriculum but guarantees that this part of the course has been taught prior to awarding the degree and professional qualification as a speech and language therapist.
This part includes all basic sciences necessary to understand the mechanisms of (the development of) fluent speech production (psychology, neurology, anatomy and physiology of speech organs and speech production, and genetics), both in children and adults. Besides the study of normal processes in fluency, this course also includes basic elements on methodology of prevention, assessment and treatment of fluency disorders.
The ECSF specialization course consists of different modules offered alternately in the participating departments. Social relevance confirms the need of specialization courses in all core topics of SLT. Not every SLT needs to specialize in a certain area of clinical practice, but individual needs, case load and service delivery models, will often dictate practice needs or requirements. Fluency disorders are a complex multifaceted clinical phenomenon with an acknowledged social and economic impact. The treatment of fluency disorders presents a significant challenge to the speech and language therapist in contemporary research and clinical practice. There is an acknowledged need for specialized training or clinical specialisms in the area of fluency and fluency disorders.
These courses provide an extra European dimension by creating a sphere of exchange and integration among the participating students and lecturers, affecting both students and lecturers. It stimulates them to look across the borders and helps them realize the impact of an increasingly international EU environment.
