New Zealand deaf adults' perspectives on speech-language therapy for deaf children.
Jayne Newbury, Rosie Lamb, Toby Macrae
PMID 41979017WHAT IT FOUND
Deaf adults in New Zealand said speech-language therapy for deaf children should support the whole child, not only speech.
They asked for early access to sign and spoken language, confidence, culture, everyday communication, respectful relationships and family involvement.
Key findings
01Participants said speech-language therapy should support the whole child, including early access to both signed and spoken language, culture and confidence.
02Participants said therapy goals should fit each child's everyday environment and include family, friends and educators as communication partners.
03Participants said respectful relationships, autonomy and a culturally responsive workforce mattered.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study included only eleven deaf adults, and they were self-selected through community contacts, so the views may not represent all deaf adults in New Zealand. The sample had limited cultural diversity: only one Māori and one Indian participant were included, and no Pacific peoples were represented. Hearing status and device use were not systematically collected, so it is unclear how these factors shaped the reported experiences. The accounts were retrospective, some described events from many years ago, and none were verified against other sources. The data were not triangulated with other sources, and the perspectives of speech-language therapists were not included. The researchers were hearing speech-language therapists, and no Deaf cultural advisor was used during analysis, so researcher assumptions about Deaf people may have shaped interpretation.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat these themes as proof that speech-language therapy is ineffective or harmful for deaf children. The study reports deaf adults' experiences and recommendations, not measured outcomes, and participants were self-selected.