“Oes ganddo ni rywun ar y tȋm sy’n siarad Urdu?”
“Beth yw ‘gwna hyn’ yn Ffrangeg?”
“Does anyone know how to say ‘you did an amazing job’ in Welsh?”
Un o werthoedd Skybound yw i gael ffocws teulu a cleient. Rydym yn cydweithio gyda teuluoedd er mwyn datblygu gwasanaethau unigol effeithiol. Un arall o’m gwerthoedd yw i ddarparu gwasanaethau o’r ansawdd uchaf. Credwn mewn darparu cymorth wedi’i deilwra gan ddefnyddio dulliau amlddisgyblaethol. Er mwyn cael ffocws teulu a cleient, a darparu gwasanaethau o’r ansawdd uchaf, mae’n rhaid ini gymryd i ystyriaeth yr iaith a ddefnyddwyd yn ystod therapi.
Mewn gofal iechyd, mae ymchwil diweddar yn dangos bod rhwystrau iaith yn arwain at gam-gyfathrebu rhwng y gweithiwr meddygol proffesiynol a’r clâf, gan leihau boddhad y ddwy ochr a lleihau ansawdd y gofal iechyd a diogelwch cleifion (Shamsi et al., 2020). Ym maes addysg, mae ymchwil wedi dangos y gall asesu plentyn yn eu hail iaith gynyddu’r siawns yn sylweddol o gael diagnosis anghywir a lleoliad academaidd amhriodol (Cummins., 2010). Felly, er mwyn cyflawni ein haddewid o gael cleient a ffocws teuluol, a darparu’r gwasanaeth mwyaf effeithiol, yn Skybound, rydym yn ceisio ein gorau i ystyried iaith gyntaf y teulu.
Ar ein tîm mae gennym ni ddwy Ddadansoddwraig Ymddygiad Cymwhysol, Therapydd Iaith a Lleferydd, Therapydd Galwedigaethol a Thechnegydd Ymddygiad sy’n gweithio ar draws Cymru yn y Gymraeg. Mae hyn yn ein galluogi i gyfathrebu gyda’r teulu, y teulu estynedig, athrawon a staff yr ysgol yn eu hiaith gyntaf. Mae hyn yn elfen amhrisiadwy o’n gwasanaeth. Gallwn sicrhau bod teuluoedd yn gyfforddus ac yn hyderus i gyfathrebu â ni. Gallwn ganu caneuon gan ‘Cyw’ a hwiangerddi am ddau gi bach yn colli eu hesgidiau yn y coed! Yn fwy na dim, gallwn sicrhau bod sgiliau’r unigolion yn cael eu hasesu fel bod gennym wir gynrychiolaeth o’u galluoedd. Mae hyn yn golygu nad oes amser yn cael ei wastraffu sgiliau addysgu y gallai’r plentyn eu perfformio eisoes, gan ein helpu ni y gefnogi cyrraedd potensial llawn y cleient- sef union ein nod!
Gwyddom pa mor fuddiol yw cael mwy nag un iaith i unigolyn. Adroddwyd bod gan ddwyieithrwydd nifer o fanteision ar blant, er enghraifft mwy o weithrediad gweithredol a theori meddwl (Peristeri et al., 2021), ac oedi dechrau dementia yn yr henoed (Mendez., 2019). Gall ein tîm gwych helpu i sicrhau nad yw ein cleientiaid yn colli allan ar unrhyw un o’r buddion hyn, gan ein bod ar hyn o bryd yn rhedeg ein therapi yn ddwyieithog. Mae nhw’n anhygoel!
Nid rhaglenni Cymraeg yn unig sydd gan Skybound, mae gennym ni hefyd Ffrangeg, Saesneg ac Wrdw yn cael eu siarad yn ystod therapi ledled Cymru, Lloegr
a’r Alban. Mae sgiliau newydd yn cael eu dysgu mewn gwahanol ieithoedd, gan sicrhau bod yr holl therapi yn cael ei unigoli, gan gynnwys yr iaith!
Multilingual Therapy
“Do we have anyone on the team who speaks Urdu?”
“What is ‘do this’ in French?”
“Does anyone know how to say ‘you did an amazing job’ in Welsh?”
One of Skybound’s values is always having a client and family focus. We collaborate with clients, their families and their teams to develop effective individualised services. Another of our values is ensuring we always deliver high quality services. We believe in providing tailored support using multidisciplinary approaches. To always have a client and family focus and deliver high quality services, we must consider the language we use during therapy.
In healthcare, recent research shows that language barriers lead to miscommunication between the medical professional and patient, reducing both parties’ satisfaction and decreasing the quality of healthcare delivery and patient safety (Shamsi et al., 2020). In education, research has shown that assessing a child in their second language can significantly increase the chance of an incorrect diagnosis and inappropriate academic placement (Cummins., 2010). Therefore, in order to fulfil our promise of having a client and family focus, and delivering the most effective service, at Skybound, we try our best to consider the family’s first language.
On our Skybound team we have two BCBAs, a Speech and Language Therapist, an Occupational Therapist and a Behaviour Technician who are working across Wales in Welsh. This enables us to communicate with the family, the extended family, teachers and school staff in their first language. This is an invaluable element of our services. We can ensure that families are comfortable and confident to communicate with us. We can sing songs from ‘Cyw’ and nursery rhymes about two dogs losing their shoes in the woods! Above all, we can ensure that the individuals’ skills are assessed so we have a true representative of their abilities. This means no time is wasted teaching skills that the child may already know, helping us reach the client’s full potential- which is exactly our goal!
We know how beneficial having more than one language is to an individual. Bilingualism has been reported to have a number of benefits on children, for example increased executive functioning and theory of mind (Peristeri et al., 2021), and delaying the onset of dementia in the elderly (Mendez., 2019). Our fabulous team can help ensure that our clients do not miss out on any of these benefits, as we currently run our therapy bilingually. How amazing are they!
Not only do our team have Welsh programs, we also have French and Urdu spoken during therapy across Wales, England and Scotland. New skills are being taught in different languages, ensuring that all therapy is individualised, including the language of delivery!
Citations
- Al Shamsi H, Almutairi AG, Al Mashrafi S, Al Kalbani T. Implications of Language Barriers for Healthcare: A Systematic Review. Oman Med J. 2020 Apr 30;35(2):e122. doi: 10.5001/omj.2020.40. PMID: 32411417; PMCID: PMC7201401
- Peristeri, E., Baldimtsi, E., Vogelzang, Tsimpli, IM., Durrleman, S. (2021). The Cognitive Benefits of Bilingualism in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Is Theory of Mind Boosted and by Which Underlying Factors? Autism Research. Vol 14, Issue 8, p. 1695-1709.
- J. Cummins (1980). Psychological assessment of immigrant children: Logic or intuition?, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 1:2, 97-111, DOI: 10.1080/01434632.1980.9994005
- Mendez MF. Bilingualism and Dementia: Cognitive Reserve to Linguistic Competency. J Alzheimers Dis. 2019;71(2):377-388. doi: 10.3233/JAD-190397. PMID: 31381516.
