Why Speech & Language Therapy Matters for South Asian Communities

In South Asian families, communication is rarely just about words. It is about how grandparents pass down stories to grandchildren through pictures, how cultural and religious traditions are shared, how silence can be a form of respect, and how families switch between multiple languages depending on the situation.

This richness of communication, however, is not always acknowledged by the families themselves or in clinical or educational spaces that are designed with a Eurocentric model in mind.

For example:

• A child speaking Punjabi, Tamil, or Urdu at home may be told to “focus on English,” even though research shows that maintaining heritage languages supports identity, family relationships, and cognitive flexibility (Paradis, Genesee & Crago, 2021).

• Silence may be seen by clinicians as a ‘difficulty’, whereas in some families it may reflect cultural values of respect or humility (Scollon & Scollon, 2011).

• Parents may not seek support because of stigma around disability or fear of being judged as ‘different’.

I have often been asked: “Isn’t it better for my child to just speak English rather than continue speaking in [home language]?” or “What’s the point of Speech and Language Therapy, there’s nothing ‘wrong’ with my child?”.

For ageing family members where communication is starting to decline, this is often accepted as a natural part of ageing. Their needs are spoken for, rather than with them. Yet the importance of autonomy, dignity, and quality of life is missed when communication is not valued in the same way as physical health.

These questions and beliefs are not rooted in a lack of care, but in the mismatch between how Speech and Language Therapy is understood (or misunderstood), how it is explained in healthcare systems, and how communication itself understood in South Asian communities.

This is why creating spaces for South Asian communities in Speech and Language Therapy is so vital. Without cultural nuance, representation, and resources that reflect lived realities, families risk being excluded from support that could help them thrive.

Studies have shown that cultural consciousness and representation improve both access to, and outcomes from, speech and language therapy services (Verdon et al., 2015). In my own work across clinics and schools, I have always placed family, culture, and what is meaningful to them at the very centre. This has meant learning from parents and grandparents about the stories, languages, and traditions that shape their family life, and using this to support a child’s independence in communication. When families feel recognised in this way, I have seen consistent attendance at appointments, greater carryover of strategies into the home and place of worship, and more open conversations within wider families about how to support their child.

While there is little research specifically focused on older South Asian adults and their communication needs, evidence from the wider population shows that targeted communication programs can enhance psychological health, social relationships, and quality of life (Marcotti et al., 2024).

This tells us that when we think about our elders, it is more important than ever to consider how communication is understood and supported. And it all starts with us actively creating spaces for South Asian communities to have this discussion. Because maintaining the ability to pray, tell stories, or share memories in a home language is not simply sentimental, but a lifeline to dignity, autonomy, and connection with loved ones.