Language is a means, so linguistic rehabilitation in educating the handicapped is a task to be essentially solved. Nearly all subjects subject to special education such as the mentally retarded, audibly, physically and emotionally handicapped except t...
Language is a means, so linguistic rehabilitation in educating the handicapped is a task to be essentially solved. Nearly all subjects subject to special education such as the mentally retarded, audibly, physically and emotionally handicapped except the visually handicapped accompany language problem, so the subjects needing language rehabilitation can be said to accounting for about 4 million including incidence of the specially educated, linguistically handicapped, and adult handicapped (inclusive of the aged population).
This study explored the status of language rehabilitation service focusing on the same service of those services provided for the linguistically handicapped , and summaries it as follows.
First, personal background of language therapist is mostly beyond technical college graduation, especially, they are mainly from technical college graduates, which seems that most of them passed a test and have a quasi-language therapist license.
Second, looking at the national status of language treatment room, it is found that it considerably lacks compared to language subjects, in particular, and it is mostly composed of private language clinics.
Third, looking at the characteristics language treatment subjects, they are mostly children under 12, which is found language treatment is performed focusing on children and infants, and consistent with that females are more than males as they account for more men.
Fourth, it is the case that language treatment method is uniformly carried out, and only 10 % language therapists are active making parents participate at the treatment.
Fifth, view of language treatment service points out that it is proper to administer the treatment 3 times a week, 40 minutes per treatment and 6 or less per daily treatment subject, and parents' participation if necessary.
Sixth, for the revised 7th special curricula to be effectively operated, language rehabilitation service is an important related service to be provided for all special schools. Special educational language treatment takes up a common type of regardless of school type. Especially, all special schools are supposed to receive language rehabilitation service according to need irrespective of type, school class.
The problems revealed as a result of analyzing the status of the .above language rehabilitation service are as follows.
Language rehabilitation institutions in this country have gradually increased, but they have not provided quality rehabilitation service due to lack of environmental and human resources, in particular, their experts are short, so it is difficult to expect substantially equal opportunity guaranteed language rehabilitation. It is the case that prerequisite and essential problem in solving the handicapped's issue, language handicap is not resolved on a national level though there are inborn problems such as training course of language experts including their qualities, service delivery system, function and role of language rehabilitation expert, and treatment setting of language rehabilitation service. Thus the quality of the handicapped's life is not enhanced, and for that reason, it is pointed out as a big hindrance in building the 21st century welfare society.
To improve the well-being of the linguistically handicapped, measures to early discovery and treatment of the handicap should be taken. For this, parents' concern is important. Also understanding of the stay-at-home language handicapped should be expanded, and especially governmental support is absolutely necessary. Thus solution plan to problems included in our country's language rehabilitation service presented by this paper are as follows.
First, enforcement of state license test for a language therapist : Like a welfare worker, a physical therapist, the language therapist should be granted a state accredited license through a state examination.
Second, expansion of a language treatment room : The general hospital should have a language treatment room, and a local government should support the operation and installation of the treatment room.
Third, home instruction for the linguistically handicapped children : language treatment requires professional treatment and guidance, and needs complementary instruction in cooperation with parents and families. Also in child language handicap, treating time is important as its physical progress, intelligence and sociability are being proceeded. If the time is lost, treatment gets harder and in serious case, impossible. Thus home instruction should be performed by parents and families till they are treated by experts. For this, a welfare center, hospital and language clinic should execute a regular education.
Fourth, the language treatment room should be equipped with minimum equipment and materials based on legal grounds.
Fifth, standardized inspection tools should be developed, distributed, and correct information obtained with various diagnosis and evaluation instruments. Also treatment contents and method should be reconsidered by formation assessment and satisfaction survey.
Sixth, home associated treatment should be made by parents's active participation.
Seventh, possible team approach should be made. It is nearly impossible for the teacher alone to totally grasp the handicapped child's disorder factors. Also in treatment, participation of many specialists rather than a single teacher is much effective, and can prevent biased treatment. The members of the team approach to participate at the diagnosis and treatment of language disorder are a teacher, hearing aider, special teacher, physical therapist, psychologist, social welfare worker, psychiatrist, otorhinologist, obstetrician, dentist, kindergarten and pre-school teacher, child's parents or families, between whom teamwork should be smooth.
Eighth, parents' cost burden should be reduced. The language handicapped receiving language treatment take treatments from 2 or more, which imposes not a little burden on the household. For this expansion of medical insurance is urgently required.