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A conference entitled "Speech and Communication: Scientific and Practical Horizons" was held at Armenian State Pedagogical University (ASPU) on November 14. The event dedicated to the International Day of Speech Therapists was organized by ASPU and the "Voice Bridge" NGO which provides socio-educational and rehabilitation services.
The conference brought together leading specialists from various organizations with the aim to discuss and reveal key issues in the field, and share their experience.
Araksia Svajyan, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia, who is a speech therapist by profession, congratulated her colleagues on the occasion of the professional holiday. In her speech, she touched upon the main directions which, in the context of education policy, particularly emphasize the role and activity of speech therapists.
The ministry official spoke about speech therapy services in the educational sector, correlating them with teaching methods in professional education. She stressed that although as a profession in the field she can see numerous achievements and issues, there is also a problem of a systemic approach, which creates a need to look at the profession from a different perspective.
Araksia Svajyan hailed the presence of the University's academic staff at the conference: together they should find ways to organize the educational process at the University in such a way that the University will have specialists equipped with the necessary abilities, skills, and knowledge who will be able to meet all the requirements and needs the field. “The speech therapy services provided in educational institutions should be different from services in other systems: the function of a speech therapist in the educational sector is to develop a child's speech and, through it, ensure greater participation in the education process and provide an opportunity to receive a quality education," she added.
Araksia Svajyan considered the unfilled speech therapist vacancies in the regions and the continuing development of professional education to be an important issue. In that context, she emphasized the importance of cooperation with ASPU.
ASPU Rector Srbuhi Gevorgyan believes that with the help of an interdisciplinary systemic approach it will be possible to provide solutions to the most important problems that ASPU specialists are also striving to solve. She says in order to solve speech problems that are worsening year by year, it is necessary to introduce various methods, knowledge of psychological theories, and psychophysiological patterns.
Srbuhi Gevorgyan considered the Faculty of Special and Inclusive Education of ASPU to be a unique structure in the country, both in terms of professional opportunities, mission, and a huge problem-solving spectrum.
Dean of the Faculty of Special and Inclusive Education Gohar Hovyan,in turn, reminded that ASPU is the only educational institution in the country that has been offering narrow specialization in the field for over 40 years, she says over the years, thanks to scientific research and cooperation, they have been able to make serious contributions to the professional field and today, thanks to such conferences, they have the opportunity to develop the profession (of speech therapists).
Mary Shaboyan, President of the "Voice Bridge" NGO, a lecturer at the Chair of Speech Therapy and Rehabilitation Therapy at ASPU, advised the future speech therapists, to uphold the noble title of an educator no matter where they work.
After the speeches, reports were presented by various experts and specialists from ASPU and those providing professional services in the field.
In their reports they focused on speech and language disorders, public awareness and knowledge of aphasia and ways to overcome it, cooperation between speech therapists and occupational therapists, system for early diagnosis and support of people with hearing impairments in Armenia, speech development and assessment and other issues.
