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The article describes SLP education, internship structures, and licensing through the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS), then outlines challenges facing clinicians and the SLP profession, including training and qualification issues.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & 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in Saudi  \nArabia  \nArab Journal of Applied Linguistics e-ISSN 2490-4198  \nVol. 07, No. 01, 2022, 87-99 © AJAL  \n[http://www.arjals.com](http://www.arjals.com)  \nAlakeel1, A. I. (Ph.D. – SLP): Consultant Pathologist in Swallowing & Communication Disorders; Clinical Assistant Professor, College of Applied Medical Sciences-KSU, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia  \nAbstract  \nSince the first undergraduate program in SLP was established in 1985 at King Saud University, the SLP profession has witnessed remarkable advancement. This is reflected in the increase in the number of programs that offer graduate and postgraduate education, the rise in the number of practicing SLPs and their clinical skills, and the quality of services provided to clients with communication and swallowing disorders. This article will give information about SLP practice in Saudi Arabia, licensing systems , and challenges facing clinicians and the SLP profession.  \nKeywords:  \n1 Corresponding author: Alakeel, A. I.  \nEmail: [ahmanakeel@gmail.com](ahmanakeel@gmail.com)  \nThe professional who provides assessment and therapy for communication and  \nswallowing disorders is called a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) . Speech-Language  \nPathology, as a profession, is part of the applied medical specialties and health  \nrehabilitation. Saudi Arabia, Jordan , and Egypt have well-established SLP professions  \ncompared to other Arab countries. In Jordan, there are bachelor’s and master’s programs,  \n4-and 2-year programs, respectively, in the field of speech-language pathology. In Egypt,  \nthe system is slightly different as SLP is considered a medical profession. In Egypt , MSc  \nand Ph.D. programs are offered to physicians with bachelor’s degrees in medicine (the  \nprogram is called “phoniatrics”). Individual bachelor programs exist in some other Arab  \ncountries, such as Kuwait, Lebanon, Tunisia , UAE, Morocco, Palestine, and Algeria.  \nApart from the Saudi SLP programs, all other programs in Arab countries do not require  \na year of internship when SLP students obtain their bachelor’s degrees.  \nThe first SLP bachelor’s program in Saudi Arabia was started at King Saud  \nUniversity’s (KSU) College of Applied Medical Sciences, as part of the health  \nrehabilitation sciences department, in 1985 , and the program name is speech and hearing  \ndisorders. The program contains intensive clinical training, followed by a compulsory  \ninternship year, i.e., 12 months of dedicated , supervised clinical training. The trainee  \nspends six months of their internship performing SLP services and the other 6 six months  \nof their internship performing audiology services. Currently (March 2022), 615 males and  \nfemales have graduated from KSU’s Speech and Hearing program.  \nKSU continued to be the only university offering SLP programs in Saudi Arabia  \nuntil Dar Al-Hekma University (DAH), a private university in Jeddah, launched an SLP  \nprogram for female SLPs only. The first batch graduated from DAH in 2010; as of  \nFebruary 2022, 193 female SLPs have completed the program. Graduates are required to  \nspend a year of internship practicing SLP under supervision.  \nIn 2012 Princess Nora University (PNU) launched two separate programs for  \nfemales: one in SLP and the other one in audiology. Unlike KSU, where students study  \nboth professions in one program, PNU’s program is devoted to either SLP or Audiology.  \nStudents spend the whole year of internship practicing either SLP or audiology. The first  \nbatch of SLPs graduated from PNU in 2016, and 79 female SLPs have graduated. Two  \nother SLP programs were launched two years ago, one at King Abdulaziz University in  \nJeddah and the other at King Khaled University in Abha. The first group is expected to  \ngraduate in 2025.  \nRegarding postgraduate studies in speech-language pathology, DAH started a  \ntwo-year M.Sc. program in SLP in 2017, and as of March 2022, 25 female SLPs graduated ","cbCaim2NDA2LVoaA","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaim2NDA2LVoaA","pdf",335050,13,"English","# Abstract\n# SLP Education Pathways in Saudi Arabia\n## Undergraduate programs and internship requirements\n## Graduate and postgraduate programs\n# Licensing and Professional Practice\n## Role of SCFHS in licensure and monitoring\n## Clinical diploma in communication and swallowing disorders\n# Challenges for Clinicians and the Profession","[{\"question\":\"When did SLP training begin at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia?\",\"answer\":\"The first undergraduate program in SLP was established at King Saud University in 1985.\"},{\"question\":\"Which organization provides practice licenses for health practitioners in Saudi Arabia?\",\"answer\":\"The Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) provides practice licenses and supervises and monitors postgraduate clinical training.\"},{\"question\":\"How is the clinical diploma program in communication and swallowing disorders described?\",\"answer\":\"It is a two-year, competency-based program that follows a medical model with rotation among clinical centers and requires mastery of skills across pediatric and adult communication and swallowing disorder areas.\"}]","The Practice of Speech-Language Pathology in Saudi Arabia - Article overview | PDF",1792073437,33]