|
Ethical Practice by
School SLPs In the day-to-day work
in the schools, SLPs are frequently confronted by ethical issues as they
implement IDEA. It is the SLPs responsibility to uphold the ethics of their
profession by considering:
Professional
association practice standards,
Professional
conduct codes of state licensure board,
Provisions
of IDEA,
State
laws and regulations, and
Local
school district procedures to comply with IDEA. ASHA
(2007) identifies 10 steps an SLP should consider when faced with ethical
predicaments and dilemmas: Step 1: Identify the problem as you see it. Step 2: Get the story
straight---gather relevant data. What do the regulations say? What do my
professional practice documents say? And what does my code of ethics require? Step 3: Address these questions:
To what extent is this a regulatory issue or a process issue in fulfilling
regulatory requirements? To what extent is this an ethical issue? To what
extent is this a workplace issue? Step 4: Try to connect the
situation to a specific rule in the code of ethics. Attempt to balance the facts against what you
believe you are being asked to do. Are
there rules in the Code of Ethics
that will apply in helping develop and execute a positive course of action? Step 5: Identify the agents of
control in the situation. Step 6: Identify what is within
your control and what is not within your control. For example, under IDEA the IEP Team is a
group hat makes decision about eligibility and services. Or, with scope of practice issues, it is
possible that the legal scope of others may allow for them to provide the
service that is under dispute. Step 7: Identify your
resources. Your supervisor? Your special
education director? Your colleagues? A mentor? Perhaps you need more information. Perhaps you need clarification. Perhaps you
need ideas for how others have handled a similar situation. Step 8: Explore alternatives and
consequences. List each possible action and list the consequences. Step 9: Craft a plan that is
ethically responsible and defendable, professionally responsible and
defendable, and within the requirements of regulations. Step 10: Evaluate your actions
and adjust your plan as you proceed.
What went well? What would I do differently? How did my action affect my
perspective? My job/career? How do others perceive me? What are my next steps? (Adapted
from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (2007). Ethics and IDEA: A Guide for |
