Challenges to infection control in early communication intervention: A scoping review.
Bilqees Achmat, Berna Gerber
PMID 36073070WHAT IT FOUND
Face masks and strict hygiene rules block the visual and physical closeness that early speech therapy needs.
Practitioners struggled to connect with infants and disinfect toys. The paper offers no proven solutions, only a call for guidelines that fit low-resource settings.
Key findings
01No existing studies provided specific infection control guidelines for speech-language therapists working with infants and toddlers.
02Therapists reported that face masks and shields obscure facial cues and muffle sound, making it difficult to engage young children and model speech.
03Standard infection control practices often clash with the nature of early intervention, as young children mouth objects and cannot maintain distance or hygiene independently.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The literature search was restricted to English-language studies and those available without payment. Most included studies were from high-income countries, which may not reflect the resource constraints faced by therapists in low- and middle-income countries. The consultation group was small and limited to South African therapists, so the findings may not generalize to other regions or healthcare systems. No studies specifically addressed speech-language therapists in early intervention, meaning the review relies on general early intervention or healthcare worker data.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that general healthcare infection control protocols are sufficient for early speech therapy. The review found no evidence-based guidelines specific to this population, and standard PPE use can significantly hinder the visual and auditory cues necessary for infant communication.