Climate change and childhood communication disorders: a literature and policy analysis

Abstract

In conclusion, climate change and its threats are becoming and increasingly impending problem for everyone on earth. All professional disciplines will have to come to terms with such problems, as they will affect aspects of all fields in different and unprecedented ways. That being said, communication disorders will have its own unique issues it will have to deal with as climate change ramifications grow more common. Manifesting from problems associated with heat, hydrological stress, and weather hazards, all of our patients (most particularly children) will experience new threats to their speech and language production and development. This is why it is growing exigent for communication disorders professionals to consider how climate change ramifications will affect our practice, and what we can thus do as professionals to deal with said ramifications. The approach outlined in this paper uses the “Action Model” to do just that. Once it is understood how climate change will affect us, the Action Model gives us the ability to use policy and government based approaches to solve our prospective issues. Using past policies as examples, such as the IPCC 5th Assessment Report, we can see policy and government as a route to best meet our clients’ needs. Taking the steps outlined in the “Action Model” can thus be seen 32 as one way communication disorders professionals can help adapt to prospective climate vacillations, and find ways to best help their patients moving toward the future.