Dysphonia: a speech and language therapy perspective

Abstract

predefining what the important questions and examinations should be. The authors were simply provided with an initial case presentation and a little clinical history and asked to develop the case in their own way indicating to the reader how the practitioners understanding of the patient and their problem unfolded. We were not looking for 'correct answers', rather we were seeking insight into the thinking of a practitioner working in the field. We wanted to know how they would theorize their practice rather than an account of how to practice according to theory. The kind of questions the practitioner asks the patient, the observations and examinations they make and, finally, how this is all linked together reveals their working 'model of practice'. Just how the experienced practitioner makes sense of a case is fascinating for it reveals not only the principles of their chosen profession but their own unique interpretation of the events viewed through their lens. This professional expertise or clinical judgement is not an easy thing to describe, justify or teach. Experienced practitioners learn to think and act in ways that draws on the knowledge of their discipline but not necessarily in formulaic or predictable ways. They do this of necessity because patients so infrequently present with the 'classic case' descriptions of the textbooks. You might ask yourself-where are the similarities and differences between these authors and your own practice of bodywork and how would you articulate your own theory of practice if you had to describe this case (Box 1).