December 8th – 9th, 2024.
The 9th Symposium of the Association of Speech Therapists of Serbia gathered over 250 participants from Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia this year.
During the weekend, the “Palas” hotel in Belgrade hosted the 9th Symposium of Speech Therapists under the title “Transdisciplinarity in Speech Therapy Today.” This year, the organizers focused on highlighting the importance of integrating knowledge and skills from professionals in various fields that can contribute to improving practical work in speech therapy and encourage new research in speech and language development as well as the treatment of various pathological conditions.
The importance of transdisciplinary collaboration
Opening the event, the President of the Association of Speech Therapists of Serbia, Dragana Soćanin, emphasized that transdisciplinarity requires continuous connection and active collaboration between speech therapists and other professionals such as pediatricians, psychologists, psychiatrists, special educators, phoniatricians, dentists, orthodontists, ENT specialists, neurologists, and others. Additionally, she highlighted the crucial role of families as co-therapists in the rehabilitation process.
Strong regional cooperation
Speaking about the work of the Association of Speech Therapists of Serbia since its founding, Mr. sci. med. Budimirka Simić-Ružić stated that, over the past twenty years, the association has organized more than 30 scientific and professional conferences, over 60 training sessions and seminars, enriched professional literature with 300 academic papers, and established cooperation with over 400 presenters from Serbia and abroad. Special attention has been given to collaboration with colleagues from North Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Slovenia.
Collaboration with the Local Community
One of the founders of the association, a master speech therapist and director of the Center for Care of the Elderly, Children, and People with Disabilities “Novi Beograd,” spoke about the association’s cooperation with the local community. She recalled the protocol of cooperation signed between the association and this institution four years ago, an initiative led by the former president, Nataša Labović.
“The protocol has resulted in numerous joint activities that have increased the visibility of both the association and the profession to the broader public and professional community. This has brought us closer to policymakers and provided more opportunities to work together on drafting the Law on Speech Therapy,” said Milovanović Minić. She also emphasized the excellent cooperation between the Municipality of Novi Beograd and the municipal center in organizing free consultations for parents and professionals in healthcare, education, and social welfare. Additionally, free screenings, treatments, and educational workshops for parents and children were conducted under the mentorship of Olivera Vilimanović, a member of the Management Board of the Association of Speech Therapists of Serbia, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bojana Drljan.
The role of students and local institutions
In her plenary session on neurodevelopmental processes from conception to childhood, Prof. Dr. Bojana Drljan highlighted the characteristics of these processes and the significant influence of various environmental factors. She stressed the importance of connection with local communities, institutions, and other professionals. Prof. Drljan pointed out that students, even during their professional training, can actively contribute to children’s speech and language development through their knowledge and engagement, supported by mentorship from their professors and professionals in the institutions where they conduct their internships.
A gathering of over 250 participants
This year’s 9th Speech Therapy Symposium gathered more than 250 participants from Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia, including professionals from education, healthcare, and social welfare systems, as well as numerous students. The event featured 26 lecturers from Serbia and the region and a total of 18 professors from various universities.
The symposium was supported by active participation from faculty members of the Faculty of Special Education and Rehabilitation, the Medical Faculty in Belgrade and Novi Sad, the University of Ljubljana, and the University of Rijeka.
A significant number of experts attended the symposium, including distinguished ENT specialists, neurologists, child psychiatrists, psychologists from the Institute of Mental Health, physicians from the University Clinical Center of Serbia, representatives of the Military Medical Academy, specialists from several preschool institutions in Belgrade, as well as representatives of the Croatian Speech Therapy Association and the Association of Speech Therapists of Slovenia.