Overview

In this book, Warda Farah brings a fresh perspective to the field of speech and language therapy, challenging traditional approaches and opening crucial conversations about race, culture, and neurodiversity in clinical practice to ensure better outcomes for all children and young people. Drawing from her unique position as a Black neurodivergent practitioner, Farah weaves personal insights with professional expertise to illuminate the often‑overlooked intersections of identity, communication, and care. She discusses how moving beyond conventional assessment methods to embrace testimonial approaches can transform our understanding of children’s communication journeys. Through analysis of historical, societal, and political contexts, the author suggests that systemic biases influence therapeutic practices and outcomes, boldly addressing the culture of silence within the profession. Essential reading for practising therapists, educators, and students alike, this book ignites a necessary dialogue about transformation in speech and language therapy. It serves as both a wake‑up call and a roadmap for speech and language therapists committed to delivering culturally responsive care in today’s diverse society.

Full Product Details

9781032195179

Table of Contents

Reviews

""Based on my first reading of this book, I found it excellent. It forced me to think more deeply about several issues--and to be introduced to several that I have never focused on, and had limited understanding of! Farah offers vitally important insights, all of critical importance to our communities in Britain. Her work is an open challenge to those who hold positions of influence, even authority, but whose views have long past their expiry date. Frankly, it brings me personal joy to read Farah’s work, and to deepen my understanding of many matters of critical importance. I wish her great success! She deserves it, for the service she is providing to our children and parents. Keep it up!"" - Bernard Coard, Guest Lecturer and Author ""This is a book where the personal and the political entangle to bring a fresh perspective on the experiences of children and professionals in educational and language intervention settings. With generosity, candour and wit, Warda shares her experiences training and working in the SLT sector, whilst gesturing towards a better, decolonised way of doing this work. This book is a must read for anyone who went into an educational / caring / health profession hoping to make the world a better place; it prompts us to self-reflect and ask critical questions about the assumptions underpinning our work, and what they may be reproducing, marginalising or Affirming."" - Professor Abigail Hackett, Sheffield Hallam University ""Warda’s timely and important book pushes us all to reflect on how interlocking systems of whiteness, ableism, coloniality, and racial capitalism are pervasive in speech and language therapy. Her core argument is that this is no accident or mistake – it is by design. She shows how contemporary speech and language therapy assessment instruments, policies, and practices are built on colonial logics which systematically exclude linguistically-marginalised communities. Theoretically rich, methodologically rigorous, and beautifully written, it draws on Warda’s own lived experience on linguistic pathologisation from inside the very system of speech and language therapy itself. But this is not just about re-documenting existing harms – it’s about pushing for futures of linguistic justice within speech and language therapy, and imagining entirely different and more equitable worlds. It is a must read for all speech and language therapy practitioners, but especially those who continue to be complicit in maintaining its white supremacist foundations."" - Dr Ian Cushing, Senior Lecturer in Critical Applied Linguistics, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK

Author Information

Warda Farah is a multi‑award‑winning social entrepreneur, speech and language therapist, writer, and lecturer whose work bridges neurodiversity research and racial justice. She founded Language Waves to work in a culturally, linguistically, and neurodiversity affirming manner, and collaborates with teachers and schools to rethink received wisdom and developmental theories shaping education in the UK.

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