Medical and educational fields in logopedics in the Netherlands: A comparison in historical and european perspective

This study describes differences between medical and educational fields in logopedics practice in The Netherlands. This dichotomy of fields is also found in other Western European countries and may result from the historical development of the profession. The four settings where logopedists work the most (institutional care, private practice, community care and special schools) were studied. One hundred and seventy-two logopedists in 103 practices or departments collected data on 1,761 patients. For each patient a standard registration form was filled in, containing information on (i) patient characteristics, (ii) logopedic diagnostic assessment, and (iii) aspects of treatment. The historical dichotomy into medical and educational fields is still demonstrable in present-day logopedics in The Netherlands. However, the settings within each field also show some differences. Private practice shows a mixture of medical and educational characteristics.