Speech-language pathologists’ practices regarding assessment, analysis, target selection and intervention for children with speech sound disorders

The following manuscript has just been accepted for publication:

McLeod, S. & Baker, E. (2014, in press May). Speech-language pathologists’ practices regarding assessment, analysis, target selection and intervention for children with speech sound disorders. Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics.

Here is the abstract

A survey of 231 Australian speech-language pathologists (SLPs) was undertaken to describe practices regarding assessment, analysis, target selection, intervention and service delivery for children with speech sound disorders (SSD). The participants typically worked in private practice, education, or community health settings and 67.6% had a waiting list for services. For each child, most SLPs spent 10-40 minutes in pre-assessment activities, 30-60 minutes undertaking face-to-face assessments and 30-60 minutes completing paperwork after assessments. During an assessment SLPs typically conducted a parent interview, single word speech sampling (most commonly using the Articulation Survey), collected a connected speech sample, and used informal tests. They also determined children’s stimulability and estimated intelligibility. With multilingual children, informal assessment procedures and English-only tests were commonly used and SLPs relied on family members or interpreters to assist. Common analysis techniques included determination of phonological processes, substitutions-omissions-distortions-additions (SODA), and phonetic inventory. Participants placed high priority on selecting target sounds that were stimulable, early developing, and in error across all word positions and 60.3% felt very confident or confident selecting an appropriate intervention approach. Eight intervention approaches were frequently used: auditory discrimination, minimal pairs, cued articulation, phonological awareness, traditional articulation therapy, auditory bombardment, Nuffield Centre Dyspraxia Programme, and core vocabulary. Children typically received individual therapy with an SLP in a clinic setting. Parents often observed and participated in sessions and SLPs typically included siblings and grandparents in intervention sessions. Parent training and home programs were more frequently used than group therapy. Two-thirds kept up-to-date by reading journal articles monthly or every 6 months. There were many similarities with previously reported practices for children with SSD in the US, UK, and the Netherlands, with some (but not all) practices aligning with current research evidence.

Speech Pathology Australia National Conference

The Speech Pathology Australia National Conference is being held in Melbourne this week. Here are the presentations being made by my PhD students and myself:

• Hopf, S. C. & McLeod, S. (2014, May). Multilingual Fiji: A comparison of Bauan Fijian, Fiji Hindi and Fiji English.
• Masso, S., Baker, E., McLeod, S., & McCormack, J. (2014, May). Assessment of phonological awareness in children with speech sound disorders: A systematic overview. Poster.
• McLeod, S. (2014, May). Intelligibility in Context Scale: Translation, validation, and norming of a parent-report screening tool.
• Verdon, S., McLeod, S., & Winsler, A. (2014, May). Language diversity, maintenance, and loss: A population study of young Australian children. 
• Verdon, S. & McLeod, S. (2014, May). Intergenerational exchange and maintenance of language among Australian Indigenous children. 



Suzanne Hopf's presentation

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  Jo Wood (SPA), Dr Anna Copley (UQ), Sharynne celebrating the International Communication Project

  
  

  

  Diane Jacobs (ACU), Prof Sue Roulstone (UWE), Nicole Limbrick, Sharynne (CSU)

  

  Sarah Masso's poster presentation
  

Indigenous children learning languages: Media release

Charles Sturt University and Speech Pathology Australia have published media releases about Sarah Verdon's presentation at the Speech Pathology Australia national conference (CSU media release here). In response, Sarah has been invited to speak on the following radio stations: ABC 2CR (NSW Central West), 4MW (Torres Strait), ABC Western Plains/Dubbo, and 2MCEand a story has been published in the First Nations Telegraph.

Sound Start meetings in Sydney

Over the past 2 days we have had research meetings regarding the Sound Start Study in Sydney. We have traveled to be together to have a face-to-face meeting to discuss our progress, future plans, and to begin writing papers together. In attendance were Professor Sue Roulstone from (University of the West of England), A/Prof  Jane McCormack (CSU, Albury), Dr Elise Baker (University of Sydney), Prof Sharynne McLeod (CSU Bathurst), Dr Kate Crowe (CSU Homebush), Sarah Masso (CSU Homebush), Charlotte Howland (CSU Homebush/U of Syd) and Tamara Cumming (CSU Homebush). Dr Yvonne Wren (Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit) has been with us via Skype. It has been a productive two days.

Sound Start Team: Elise Baker, Kate Crowe, Charlotte Howland, Sharynne McLeod, Tamara Cumming, Sue Roulstone, Sarah Masso, Jane McCormack

Sound Start team meeting at CSU Homebush

What infants talk about: Comparing parents’ and carers’ insights

A book chapter (and book) have just been published:

McLeod, S., Elwick, S., & Stratigos, T. (2014). What infants talk about: Comparing parents’ and carers’ insights. In L. J. Harrison & J. Sumsion (Eds). Lived spaces of infant-toddler education and care: Exploring diverse perspectives on theory, research, practice and policy (173-185). Dordrecht: Springer. 

The chapter came from our Australian Research Council Linkage Grant where we explored what is life like for babies in childcare. We used parents' and teachers' responses on the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory: Words and Gestures (Fenson et al., 2007) to determine what words were known by young children

Children’s first words are eagerly anticipated and celebrated by their parents and others in their lives. Their first words reflect the context in which children live, words that are heard frequently, and things that may be important to children (Hart, 1991; Hoff-Ginsberg, 1992). There is some evidence to suggest that young children’s language development varies by situational context and in direct response to what is spoken to them by their parents (Sabbagh & Callan, 1998; Snow, 1984). In this chapter, we explore the possibility that children’s first words may also provide insights into important aspects of their lived spaces in early childhood education and care settings.

Words known: "The words that the most educators recorded that the infants understood were: nappy (9), eat (9), outside (8), push (8), dog (7), water (7), lunch (7), drink (7), sleep (7), hat (7), and wait (7). Most of these concepts were also recorded by most parents as well."

Words spoken: "According to the educators, the words spoken by the most children were uh oh (6), daddy (5) and mummy (5). The next most spoken words (4) were social words (bye bye, hello, thank you), onomatopoeic words (meow, moo, quack, woof woof) and the noun, ball. There were other words that were listed by parents that were not in the top list for educators: baby (6), grandma (6), drink (5), and no (5). These words identified by educators and parents capture common daily events (e.g., welcomes and farewells, playing with and reading books about animals) and people in homes and ECEC settings.

Professor Sue Roulstone visits Australia (and Bathurst)

Professor Sue Roulstone, from the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK  is visiting Australia for a few weeks. She is an invited keynote speaker at the Speech Pathology Australia national conference. In addition, she is working with members of the Sound Start Study team (Sue is a co-investigator on the grant) and spending time at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.

Sue and Sharynne enjoying Bathurst's autumnal weather

Today, Thursday 8th May, Sue presented a seminar to speech pathologists from across the Central West of New South Wales. The audience had traveled for hours, coming from places including Parkes, Mudgee, Orange, Dubbo, Lithgow, Canowindra, and Cowra. Here is the title, abstract, and her biography:

Mapping research onto practice with preschool children with primary speech and language impairments

The session will provide an opportunity to compare speech-language pathology practice in Australia with that identified in the Child Talk research programme in England. The focus of Child Talk is on speech pathology-led interventions for preschool children with PSLI, examining the research evidence as it pertains to current practice, with the aim of developing an evidence-based framework. The session will present key findings from the research programme including a typology of therapy and the perspectives of children and parents on interventions.

Professor Sue Roulstone with speech pathologists from the Central West

 

Biography

Sue Roulstone is Emeritus Professor of Speech & Language Therapy at the University of the West of England, Bristol and a co-Dirctor of the Bristol Speech & Language Therapy Research Unit. Sue has worked as a speech and language therapist, a manager, a researcher and an educator and was Chair of the UK Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists from 2006-2009. Her research interests include child and family perspectives, professional judgement and evaluation of speech and language therapy. She was a core member of the national research programme commissioned by the UK government following the Bercow Review of Services for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (the Better Communication Research Programme) and is currently completing work on a large research programme funded by the National Institute of Health Research to develop an evidence-based framework of interventions for preschool children.

Department of Social Services annual report on the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children

Sarah Verdon and I were asked to write a paper for the Australian Government's Department of Social Services annual report on the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children. We have just learned it has been accepted for publication:
McLeod, S. & Verdon, S. (in press, May 2014). Longitudinal patterns of language use, diversity, support, and competence. Footprints in Time: Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children Wave 5 Report. Canberra, Australia: Commonwealth of Australia.

Visiting Chris Code

While in Exeter I journeyed along the coastline of England to visit Chris Code. Chris is a professor at the University of Exeter and editor of the journal Aphasiology. I have known Chris since the early 1990s when he was a professor at The University of Sydney. He was the first person to encourage me to write a book (I have written a few since), and to join the International Clinical Phonetics and Linguistics Association (I am now vice president). He also has been a very supportive executive board member of the International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, and has continued to encourage me throughout my career. It was such a pleasure to see Chris and his wife again.

Chris Code and Sharynne

South West Specific Speech Sound Impairment Clinical Excellence Network

Today I gave a presentation to the South West Specific Speech Sound Impairment Clinical Excellence Network in Exeter, UK.

 The presenters and order of presentations during the day were:

• Sharynne McLeod (Charles Sturt University, Australia): Assessing children's speech: The big picture
• Jane Speake (NHS, Cambridge, UK): Speech Production and Intelligibility in Children with Persisting Speech Difficulties
• Sally Bates (Marjon University, UK) and Jocelynne Watson (Queen Margaret University, Scotland): Supporting Practice - A Quick-Step Guide to using the PPSA (Phonetic and Phonological Systems Analysis)
• Jill Titterington (University of Ulster, Northern Ireland): Applying the Complexity Approach in Clinic

Miriam Seifert, Jane Speake, Jill Titterington, Sharynne McLeod, Emma Black, Sally Bates, Jocelyn Watson

It was a great day of discussion and information. There were a number of students in the audience as well.

Sharynne with students who were mostly from Marjon University