The Professions of Speech-Language Pathology
and Audiology in Canada: Some Historical Observations
This series of three articles will reflect on the history of
speech-language pathology and audiology in Canada. The historical
observations will focus on three major influences:
- The Professions Are Recently Established in
Canada (January, 2003 - see below)
- Influences from the United Kingdom
and the United States (short version published in Communique,
January 2004)
- The influence of Geography (short
version published in Communique, January 2004)
The Professions Are Recently Established
in Canada
Virginia Martin
Winnipeg, Manitoba
In the Hall Report (The Royal Commission on Health Services,
Vol. 2, Queen's Printer, Ottawa, 1965) under the Heading of
"Speech and Audiological Therapists" it states: "Statistics
on speech therapists are lacking... It is estimated that there
were between 100 and 125 qualified speech therapists in Canada
in that year (1961). Most of them work in hospitals... It has
been estimated that between 400 and 500 additional speech therapists
are needed. At present existing training facilities graduate
about 12 speech therapists per year; in addition another 10-20
foreign-trained speech therapists annually migrate to Canada.
This annual gross increment is seriously inadequate in view
of the shortage that exists in this country..." In 1961,
the Université de Montréal and the University
of Toronto had the only two educational programs in Canada.
Despite its title, the report does not report separately on
audiology numbers.
Professional Associations and Educational Programs
Another measure of the recent development of the professions
is in the dates of the establishment of professional associations
and educational programs in Canada (see chart). The first provincial
association was founded in 1951 in Quebec. Others followed in
the late 50s and one provincial association as late as 1979
(PEI). The Canadian Speech and Hearing Association (CSHA - now
CASLPA) was founded in 1964. In 1973 there were only 135 members
of CSHA, less than in 1965.
Because the first educational programs began over twenty years
after services started and because there were so few, almost
the entire early faculty received their professional education
in other countries. One of the reasons for beginning Human Communication,
the first CSHA publication, was to provide a refereed journal
for Canadian academic staff. By 1974 there were four additional
education programs: McGill, UWO, UBC and the University of Alberta.
Numbers of Professionals
Early published resources are minimal. The first national listing
appears to be CSHA's 1965. Its 149 members were an increase
from 12 at the founding meeting less than a year earlier. Of
those who listed their profession, eight listed audiology and
nine listed both professions.
By 1969, four years later, a publication by Paul Kuttner reported
on data he collected from provincial associations. His data
are valuable because they give the educational background of
members, employment locations, standards and comments from the
association officials. The data are limited, however, in listing
only members of the provincial associations. These were all
the professionals practising only in Quebec and Manitoba, the
two provinces that had professional legislation at the time.
Membership in the other provincial and the national associations
was voluntary. Kuttner's data list: Atlantic Provinces, about
20; Quebec, 104; Manitoba, 27; Saskatchewan, 10. Numbers are
not listed for the other provinces.
Kuttner reports on some audiology data. For example, he quotes
the president of the Manitoba Speech and Hearing Association
(MSHA): " Of the 27 speech therapists employed in Manitoba
most offer limited audiological services as part of their function
as speech and hearing clinicians. Two persons are engaged purely
as audiologists and one provides both services." In Saskatchewan,
"... Due to present lack of qualified personnel most clinicians
perform the combined function of speech and hearing." However,
in the Atlantic Provinces Association, "No individual is
employed to provide the combined services of speech and hearing.
Audiologists are employed only in government-supported clinics
and the Interprovincial School for the Deaf."
The next national report, in 1973, in the second issue of Human
Communication, represented the first published attempt to gather
information about all S-LPs and audiologists working in Canada.
This directory, which did not manage to include all clinicians
practising at the time, listed 360 professionals with name,
address, education, membership in professional associations,
position and length of time in position. Forty-one (about 11%)
were identified as audiologists. The issue also listed the 135
members of CSHA and the members of each provincial association.
Services
In a History of the Treatment of Speech Disorders by Margaret
Eldridge (1968), the earliest service listed in Canada was in
1933 at the Montreal Children's Hospital. The earliest school
services appear to be in Calgary, 1937, and in Winnipeg, 1938.
Services in Ontario also began in the 30s at the Hospital for
Sick Children in Toronto.
Services in other provinces appear to have started later. Eldridge
stated a date of 1949 for the beginning of services in Saskatchewan.
Although services started earlier, the first formally qualified
speech therapist came to Alberta in 1950, and was in private
practice. The first speech therapy clinic in Nova Scotia was
opened in 1952. This is contrast to other countries where, according
to Eldridge, services were started before 1920: the United Kingdom,
Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the U.S. and
Austria. There are many implications to the later establishment
of the professions in Canada. One is that by the time more professionals
were practising in Canada, there was more scientific research
in the professions. Research on language development, which
expanded in the 1950s, provided an expanded base for diagnosis
and practice. The number and sophistication of technical equipment
developed both in audiology and speech-language pathology had
increased. Educational programs in other countries had established
curricula and clinical training sites. Continuing education
was available. The fact that the early meetings of professionals
working in Canada were held at conferences of the American association
(founded in the 1920s) indicates that this was a gathering of
influential professionals working in Canada.
There is no doubt that the professions in Canada benefited
from the diversity of the education of the professionals who
came from other countries and from those who went from Canada
to study in other countries. The major influences were from
the United Kingdom and the United States, the two countries
that provided professional education for most of the early faculty
and clinicians.
Did you know?
Virginia Martin
A press release issued by CASLPA's national office in January,
1984 read: "Speech-language pathologist: uniform title
adopted for Canadian practitioners. Membership endorsement was
confirmed … in November."
The release goes on to state, "The Association felt that
the former title [speech pathologists] did not give the appropriate
scope of practice. The membership confirmed their involvement
with language-impaired individuals by recommending the adoption
of the title speech-language pathologist."
Terminology has changed significantly over the years. In 1945,
in Reports to the Winnipeg School Division, "speech correction"
was changed to "speech therapy." The current department
is called Communication Disorders. The name of the national
association was changed from CSHA to CASLPA in 1986. In 1981
the Executive Council proposed naming the association the Language-Speech-Hearing
Association of Canada, a proposal that was not adopted.
