Cultural safety, relevance, and effectiveness of speech and language services to Indigenous young children

Sharla Peltier, BSc, MEdSpeech/Language

PathologistChippewas of RamaMnjikaning First Nation,

Ontario

Jessica Ball, MPH, PhDClinical/Developmental

PsychologistSchool of Child and Youth CareUniversity of Victoria, BC

04/24/23

““The way to live today” The way to live today” (Cree Elder Eddie Belrose)(Cree Elder Eddie Belrose)

CultureCulture

TraditionTraditionAnishinaabe Anishinaabe bimaadzawin bimaadzawin “Living the good “Living the good life” life” (Odawa Elder (Odawa Elder Stanley Peltier)Stanley Peltier)

Putting on a culturally sensitive lens

If we do not understand where a person is coming from in terms of their cultural and linguistic background, the relationship-building process is impeded

04/24/23

A Strong Relational WorldviewCustoms and traditions that direct us – holistic and

contextualSharing and contextual learning for living in our

environment and with each otherEverything is in a state of change – Aboriginal education

philosophy and world view are relevant in contemporary times and address current issues

Indigenous knowledge is fundamental to the teaching and learning process

The medicine wheel is one tool

Medicine Wheel

Four Aspects of a Person

Emotional

Physical

Spiritual

Mental

Indigenous Cultural Principals Spiritual relationship with the land – we are part of

the land and are in harmony with it, in a state of interdependence with plants and animals, environment, social and mental contexts

Importance of person-to-person relationship – kinship terms, greetings

Each of us has a personal responsibility for learning and balance in our relationships

Natural law directs us to be respectful, kind, loving, having humility and compassion for all living things

Spiritual IntelligenceWhat we use to develop our longing and capacity

for meaning, vision and value

Allows the individual to dream and strive

Underlies the things we believe in and the role our beliefs and values play in actions that we take and the shape we give our lives…morality

UniverseNationCommunityFamilyIndividual

A shared and collective vision/philosophy

A culturally safe, teaching/therapeutic approach encompasses Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing, such as:

1. Observing not just with our physical (eyes, senses) but also making connections with our feelings and mind

2. Experiential involving the mind, heart, spirit, land and events (traditional activities outside of the classroom)

3. Comprehending holistically…not just intellectually but also emotionally (to twice understand)

4. Strong emotional and spiritual factors to the learning experience5. Teaching/learning settings and practices that are reflected

within the community experience and traditions = socio-cultural relevancy

Developing a culturally safe and relevant professional approach

What are we talking about?

Cultural safety in ancillary and primary health services, such as SLP & Audiology services, OT,

PT, and maternal and child health care.

Survey of 70 CALSPA SLPs indicated a need for “an altogether different approach”

70 SLP /CASLPA members with years of experience with Indigenous children & families•online survey questionnaire•reflections on practice with Indigenous children 0-8 years old•rural & urban experience

SLPs did not feel prepared through their training, professional development, mainstream tools & intervention methods

Challenges for SLP–Indigenous client encounters

Mainstream, Euro-Western training & tools embody a particular, dominant

cultural locationScreening and assessment tools and interventions methods are cultural artefacts.

Using them without question, modification or caveats reproduces the cultural source and that created them.

One big bundle of pathology….OR

•Second language & second dialect learning•Cultural distinctiveness•Challenging socio-historical conditions•Inequitable quality of life, especially:•poor quality housing •low access to health promotion & early interventionStrengths-based, family & community centred approaches

From deficits to differences and building on strengths

Family & community focus64% of SLP respondents emphasized these learning points based on their practice experiences: develop & provide programs & services that are family & community focused learn about cultural beliefs, practices & ways of being of the families & communities to be served be aware of diversity – tailor make approaches, rather than taking a standardized, uniform approach

Improve knowledge of local culture and community

SLPs emphasized:learn from families being served, learn from Elders, Indigenous mentors within the Indigenous community as well as conferences & workshops

An ethic of collaborationKnowledge sharing vs. informingCollaborative problem solving vs. expert/authorityReciprocal learning / mutual capacity buildingCo-constructing ways to move supports into place

Developing a culturally safe and relevant professional approach: getting specific…

1. Consider presenting profile of communicative behaviours in light of cultural socialization processes, home and community environment

2. Involve parent/cultural informant interviews to identify contextual evidence supporting FN’s dialect – survey of adults’ English/dialect, Aboriginal language

3. Observe/identify child’s interests and familiar activities and incorporate in assessment, programming activities

4. Use dynamic assessment

Symbols/PictographsAboriginal peoples historically used pictographs

(eg. red ochre paintings on rock surfaces, birchbark scrolls) and petroglyphs (red ochre carvings on rock surfaces) to record major events and practices

- Examples are found along waterways of Northern Great Lakes to northeastern Saskatchewan, parts of Quebec and northern Shield of Ontario

- Depict contact period/trade, mythological beings

Aboriginal students have a natural affinity to visualization (eg. looking away when listening in order to visualize/process the speaker’s message and symbolism; Art)

This visual communication style can be encouraged when teaching new words and concepts and for facilitating print comprehension

First Nations “Language Communication Profile”

Reflection of cultural differences - conceptual knowledge - vocabulary - interpersonal communication styles

Reflection of environmental factors - exposure - dual language learning - transition - setting

Reflection of world-View04/24/23

Listening BehavioursVary with socialization practices -Learned at home and

in the community prior to school enrollmentAboriginal people value this skill and expect young

people to listen more than they talk – as life experience and knowledge is gained a person speaks/shares

Teachers can direct students to “send your words to the listener’s ears”

Introduce the social communication practices and expectations as “school talk” and teach ways to be a good listener/speaker (eg. turning your body towards the person/group you’re interacting with)

Things to Consider When Interpreting Performance on Tests

Phonology/Sound SystemAboriginal children’s world view and language

supports a different appreciation for features and characteristics (e.g. Horse = “one toe”)

Prepositions – words that explicitly tell the location of an item (eg. Hide the button, barrier games, one and two step instructions in-context)

Gender terms – he/she, him/her

First Nation English DialectsThe variety of English

spoken by an Aboriginal person

Different pronunciation/ accent, vocabulary, sentence structure

Dialects have a complete grammatical rule system governing pronunication, word formation, and the combining of words into sentences

Seen in mainstream (dominant culture) schools as “inferior”, “ungrammatical” when biased assessment tools and norms based on Standard English are used as the yardstick

FNED is an important area of socialization/ power/link to community and self-identity

Ojibway FNED SpeakersDo not use f, v, th (eg Mary = “Moni”,

this = “dis”, Vincent = “Behsen”)

Some dialects do not have an r, l

When Aboriginal children enter school, they are attuned to FNED speech sounds and cannot perceive all of the English sounds

04/24/23

Oral Language & Phonological Awareness Focus

Academically, Aboriginal students are often 2 years behind their non-Aboriginal age-mates in Canada

Aboriginal peoples have oral histories First Nations Peoples have an Indian Mind FNED has not tapped these assets in the classroom Research shows that 20% of elementary school students require PA

training Aboriginal children often present at school with non-standard dialects

of English or second language learning issues, often concurrent with recurrent otitis media resulting in chronic mild-moderate hearing loss persisting to age 10.

04/24/23

Parent Interview Form – Home Language Context

Description of languages used in the home Does ___ speak/understand the Ojibway language?

If so, when did he/she begin to learn Ojibway? How old when first word in Ojibway? English? How old when first sentence in Ojibway? English? Description of family contacts with FN community Family’s motivation to become or remain proficient in English?

Ojibway?

From Schiff-Meyers, N.B. (Jan 1992) “Considering Arrested Language Development and Language Loss in the Assessment of Second Language Learners”

Language, Speech and Hearing Services in the Schools, 23, 28-33.

Persisting problematic issues Deficit model (Clinical, medical model and Special Education

perspective) Formal Speech and language tests are invalid Lack of relationships between parents and schools or other services Over-identification of Aboriginal students in Special Education

program and on SLP caseload Up to 40% Aboriginal children in Primary Grades have chronic

Otitis Media Home programming tends to be prescriptive and therapizes the

family/parents

Appropriate ApproachesUse materials and topics that Aboriginal

experiences and storytelling

Discuss and address bias in resources and sterotypical images

Honour Aboriginal pedagogy

Elicit parental and community participation

Acknowledge traditions and celebrations

Contribute to community based service capacities

Ball, J. (2009). Supporting young Indigenous children’s language development in Canada: A review of research on needs and promising practices. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 66(1), 20-47.

Ball, J. (2008). Aboriginal young children’s language and literacy development: Progress, promising practices, and needs. Invited monograph for the Encyclopedia of the Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network, National Literacy Strategy Initiative.

  Ball, J. (2008). Promoting equity and dignity for Aboriginal children in Canada.

Invited monograph for the Institute for Research on Public Policy. IRPP Choices, Volume 14 (7), 1-30.

Ball, J. & Bernhardt, B.M. (2008). First Nations English dialects in Canada: Implications for speech-language pathology practice. Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics. 22:8, 570-588.

 Ball, J. (Bernhardt, B., Ball, J., & Deby, J. (2009). Cross-Cultural Interaction and Children’s SpeechAcquisition. In The International Guide to SpeechAcquisition (pp.101-106). Thomson.

References

References

Langan, L.A., Sockalingam, R., Caissie, R., & Corsten, G. (2007) Occurrence of Otitis Media and Hearing Loss Among First Nations Elementary School Children. Canadian Journal of Speech Language Pathology and Audiology, 31 (4), 178-185.

Peltier, S. (2010).– First Nation English Dialect and Language Literacy Development in Schools. Canadian Journal of Native Education, 32, 114-142.

Peltier, S. (2010). Valuing Children’s Storytelling From An Anishinaabe Orality Perspective Nip U 2010, National Library Thesis Canada. Available at: www.collectionscanada.ca/thesescanada

Peltier, S. (2009). First Nations English Dialects in Young Children: Assessment Issues and Supportive Interventions Canadian Language and Literacy Network Website – Encyclopedia of Language and Literacy Developmenthttp://literacyencyclopedia.ca/indes.php?fa-items.show&topicId=276

FN Language and Community Profiles

www.languagegeek.com/isolate/tlingit.html

http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/search-recherche/lst/page.cfm?Lang=E&GeoCode=35

for more information please visit www.ecdip.org

Miigwech (your interest and participation are appreciated)

Contact us: sharlap@sympatico.ca sharlap@sympatico.ca peltiesh@rainbowschools.ca

jball@uvic.ca