Collaborative working in speech and language therapy for children with DLD-What are parents' needs?
Inge S Klatte, Manon Bloemen, Annemieke de Groot and 3 others
PMID 37715545WHAT IT FOUND
Parents of children with DLD described current speech therapy as one-way, with therapists deciding goals and assigning homework.
They want clarity on progress, emotional support, and dedicated time to ask questions, rather than just instructions for home practice.
Key findings
01Most parents described collaboration with speech therapists as a one-way approach where therapists make decisions and give instructions, rather than discussing goals jointly.
02Parents reported struggling to verbalise their own needs because they are accustomed to focusing solely on their child's needs during therapy sessions.
03Key parental needs included clarity about the therapy process and progress, feeling capable of supporting their child, and having dedicated time and space to ask questions.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study recruited parents via speech therapists, which may have biased the sample toward those willing to engage with the service, as seven parents declined due to frustration or lack of time. No parents of 2-year-olds participated, despite the target age range being 2 to 6 years. The interviewer was not a speech therapist, which might have led to missed cues regarding specific therapy processes, although this was mitigated by discussions with the research team.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the Taskforce for Applied Research SIA (Regieorgaan SIA).
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these themes as evidence that specific collaborative strategies improve child language outcomes. This study reports parents' subjective needs and experiences, not the effectiveness of any intervention.