Can Structured Literacy Be a New Dimension for Interprofessional Practice Between Teachers and SLTs? Perceptions of Irish SLTs on Their Capacity and Practices in Supporting Children With Literacy Difficulties.
Sylwia Kazmierczak-Murray, Paula Lehane, Christina Hannify
PMID 41083922WHAT IT FOUND
Most Irish SLTs see literacy work as within their scope but feel unprepared for it.
Only 13% felt confident working in literacy, and none said their degree prepared them. They value consulting with teachers but rarely find it feasible to team-teach or work inside classrooms.
Key findings
01While a majority of surveyed SLTs agreed that supporting children struggling to read is within their scope of practice, only 13% felt confident working in the literacy domain, and 93% stated their university education had not prepared them for this role.
02There is a significant gap between what SLTs value and what they can do: 73% valued consultative support and 60% valued direct intervention, yet only 20% found team-teaching with classroom teachers feasible and 30% found intervening within the classroom feasible.
03Confidence was high for linguistic components like vocabulary and phonological awareness, but low for written language skills, with only 17% agreeing that supporting spelling difficulties was within their scope.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The sample size was small (35 respondents), which limits the generalizability of the findings to all Irish SLTs. Participants were self-selected from a Special Interest Group in DLD, meaning those with a specific interest in literacy may have been more likely to respond, potentially biasing the results. The study was purely quantitative and descriptive, lacking the qualitative depth to explain why SLTs perceive certain models as infeasible. The survey relied on self-reported confidence and perceptions rather than observed practice or standardized competence measures.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the low confidence and lack of preparation as a lack of professional willingness. The survey shows that most SLTs believe literacy support is within their scope, indicating a training and structural barrier rather than a refusal to engage with literacy.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →