International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology最新文献

Purpose: Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) are at heightened risk for reading difficulty. We investigated the home literacy environments of kindergarten children with DLD and typically developing (TD) peers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method: We analysed scores from standardised assessments of oral language, nonverbal intelligence, and word reading in conjunction with home literacy questionnaire data at three time points.

Result: Frequency of engagement in home literacy activities did not differ by group during school closures or when schools reopened. Caregivers from both groups reported increased home literacy engagement during closures. Engagement returned to pre-pandemic levels when schools reopened. For the DLD group, the child's word reading ability and interest in literacy were positively associated with the home literacy environment. Family history of language and/or literacy difficulty was negatively associated with the home literacy environment. For the TD group, only the child's interest in literacy was positively associated with the home literacy environment.

Conclusion: These findings elucidate the need for further research related to home literacy and families of children with DLD, with a focus on identifying potential strengths and vulnerabilities related to child and caregiver factors.

Purpose: To evaluate a parent-delivered expressive vocabulary intervention using focused stimulation for young children with cerebral palsy (CP).

Method: A single case A-B design was used. Use of expressive target words was evaluated during the baseline (A) and intervention (B) phases. Untrained expressive words were used as control behaviour. Four 2- to 3-year-old boys with CP and their parents participated. All participants had an expressive vocabulary of less than 50 words at study intake. Following training, parents delivered the intervention daily at home for 5 weeks. Generalisation of the intervention was measured with a parent-rated vocabulary checklist.

Result: Two participants showed clear gains and one participant showed a smaller gain in target words. Two of these three participants did not improve on control words, but one participant increased his use of both target and control words. One participant did not increase his use of either control or target words. All participants improved on parent-reported expressive vocabulary, and for two children, improvements were large.

Conclusion: Parent-delivered focused stimulation may lead to gains in expressive vocabulary in children with CP and speech and language difficulties. The intervention would be suitable for larger single-case studies with more experimental control.

Purpose: To discuss whether early intervention can stop stuttering development. To inform junior clinicians and students of speech-language pathology about contemporary views on this issue.

Method: The issue was discussed by two university researchers and two speech-language pathologists who provide public clinical services. Written conversational turns in an exchange were limited to 100 words each. When that written dialogue was concluded, each participant provided 200 words of final reflection about the issue.

Result: Most differences that emerged centred on the clinical evidence base for early intervention, which emphasises stuttering reduction, and how it should be interpreted.

Conclusion: The evidence base for early intervention has limitations and it should be interpreted cautiously. One interpretation is that reducing stuttering severity is a justifiable core of early management. Another interpretation focuses on ease of communication, anticipation of stuttering, and covert stuttering.

Purpose: Many children who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) show poorer auditory word-learning skills than children with typical hearing (TH). The goal of this study was to test the effect of retrieval practice on word learning in children who are hard of hearing (HH).

Method: Twenty-six TH children and 16 children who are HH completed a speech perception and a vocabulary test, and a rapid word-learning game to learn new words under no retrieval, immediate retrieval, and spaced retrieval conditions.

Result: Linear mixed-effect models revealed that learning condition and time predicted 48% of the variance in word recognition, and age predicted 15% of word recall variance. We observed no differences in word recognition and recall between TH children and children who are HH. Children learned and remembered more words in the immediate and spaced retrieval practice conditions than in the no retrieval condition.

Conclusion: Retrieval practice is more effective for word learning and retention than passive exposure (no retrieval). Clinical and educational practices for children who are DHH could combine explicit instruction using targeted exposures and retrieval of new words with naturalistic approaches. Future studies should assess retrieval practice in real-life interventions to inform clinical and educational practices.

Purpose: To examine the characteristics of speech-language pathology (SLP) consumers prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, with respect to the mode of service delivery within a local health district in New South Wales, Australia, to inform future health service planning.

Method: Observational study examining SLP occasions of service data pre-COVID-19 (2019-2019; n = 6413) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021; n = 6908). Spatial mapping and multilevel models were used to examine associations between sociodemographic characteristics, telehealth utilisation, and videoconferencing.

Result: During COVID-19, SLP occasions of service increased by 7.7% compared to pre-COVID-19. Model 1 found odds of adopting telehealth (telephone or videoconference) during COVID-19 were significantly higher for those aged 0-4 and 5-17 years compared to older age groups. Consumers in inner regional areas were significantly less likely to adopt telehealth than in major city areas, whereas females were significantly more likely to adopt telehealth. Those living in areas experiencing higher relative disadvantage were less likely to use telehealth. Model 2 found odds of adopting videoconferencing only were also significantly higher for the younger age groups (0-4 and 5-17 years) and females.

Conclusion: A rapid transition to a virtual model of care was critical to the successful delivery of SLP services during COVID-19. Immediate prioritisation and integration of targeted models of care, where suitability is high and benefits most likely to be experienced, is feasible.

Purpose: Translation of research is requisite for speech-language pathologists; however, barriers have been reported. This review aimed to identify the extant literature published on communication for autistic children, and examine the replicability and translatability of communication interventions for speech-language pathologists providing services to children with autism.

Method: A scoping review was conducted using a six-stage protocol. Following initial database searching and screening, data were extracted from included studies for demographic characteristics and Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist elements. Stakeholder consultation interviews with 13 speech-language pathologists who work with autistic children were also undertaken.

Result: The database search revealed 4719 studies on the topic of communication in autistic children, of which 762 were communication intervention studies. Of these included intervention studies, 30% were considered replicable according to the TIDieR checklist. Stakeholder consultation revealed that poorly described intervention studies hindered translation efforts.

Conclusion: The vast amount of autism communication intervention literature and the variable quality of intervention description reporting are barriers to accessing high quality literature for translation to practice. Improved reporting of intervention descriptions in autism communication intervention studies would support research translation into clinical settings.

Purpose: Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are often the first point of contact for families of children with autism. Despite this, little is known about SLPs' understanding of autism and its early indicators. This study sought to investigate what Australian SLPs know about autism, the early indicators, and the actions they take when they identify these characteristics.

Method: A 34 question cross-sectional online survey was distributed through professional networks, social media channels, and industry contacts to Australian SLPs. Quantitative and qualitative data were analysed.

Result: The 70 participants worked in various contexts around the country. The majority of participants demonstrated sound knowledge of the main characteristics of autism, and some early indicators. Quantitative analysis identified a significant correlation between participant age and confidence talking to parents about possible autism. Overarching themes were identified: (a) caution may delay or prevent SLPs from taking action, (b) some factors may influence SLPs' action, and (c) SLPs take action.

Conclusion: Australian SLPs working with children have the knowledge and understanding of the main characteristics of autism and some early indicators. However, they demonstrate a cautious approach around the subject of autism, and this caution may cause delays for children requiring diagnostic services.

Purpose: The study aimed to understand how bilingual children with typical language development (TLD) and those with developmental language disorder (DLD) use frequent word co-occurrences in their narratives.

Method: We studied the change over time in the word co-occurrences used by 30 Spanish-English bilingual children with and without DLD (experimental group). An additional normative group consisted of 98 TLD Spanish-English bilingual first graders. Children narrated two Spanish and two English stories in kindergarten and first grade. Employing a Python program on the transcribed narratives, we extracted all adjacent two-word and three-word co-occurrences. From the normative group, the 90 most frequently occurring two-word and 90 most frequently occurring three-word co-occurrences were extracted. The type and tokens of word co-occurrences each child in the experimental group produced out of the 180 identified word co-occurrences were analysed.

Result: Overall, children at first grade produced more word co-occurrences types than in kindergarten. Children with DLD used fewer types of word co-occurrences but produced them as often as than their TLD peers. Children with DLD increased their word co-occurrences from kindergarten to first grade at the same rate although at a lower frequency. Children in both groups produced similar types and tokens of word co-occurrences in both Spanish and English, except tokens of two word co-occurrences. Children produced two word co-occurrences more often in English than in their Spanish narratives.

Conclusion: The results shed light on children with DLD's deficits in production of word co-occurrences, indirectly reflecting possible deficits in statistical pattern detection.

Purpose: Addressing the retention challenges faced by non-metropolitan speech-language pathologists (SLPs) is crucial for achieving health services equity in Australia. This study assesses the applicability of previous literature findings to the current context of Australian SLPs. Furthermore, identifying specific factors influencing the retention of SLPs in outer regional, remote, and very remote areas of Australia.

Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 SLPs, who have been employed in non-metropolitan areas of Australia within the last 5 years. The collected data underwent online screening, with the interviews transcribed and analysed using content analysis techniques.

Result: Retention rates of non-metropolitan SLPs in Australia were categorised into three themes: professional, personal, and latent. The professional category included professional support, professional development, premature responsibilities, generalist skills, and funding. The personal category included community, family/relationships, burnout, and social justice. The latent themes included finances, management, and faith.

Conclusion: Retention rates of non-metropolitan SLPs in Australia are influenced by both protective factors and risk factors. Three recommendations to improve community access and reduce the current equity gap are outlined, namely: (a) tailored/bespoke professional education to maintain/enhance the clinical competence required, (b) prioritise community immersion and improve mentoring, and (c) strategies and policies to support SLPs.

Purpose: Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a communication deficit that impacts a child's overall quality of life, including their academic and social interactions, yet few studies have investigated the impact from the child's perspective. Using The World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) framework, we examined the children's and caregivers' perspectives on the impact of CAS on their overall wellbeing.

Method: Survey data were collected from 32 child-caregiver dyads for children ages 9-17 years with CAS. Items elicited responses along a 5-point scale to examine the perceived impact of children's speech impairments using the framework, including impact on communication, interpersonal interactions/relationships, and major life events.

Result: Results from non-parametric statistical analyses revealed: (a) caregivers reported a significantly greater impact than children across individual ICF domains; (b) child responses were not significantly correlated with their caregiver's responses or with the child's age, gender, or severity indicators; and (c) both caregivers and children indicated the domain of communication was impacted more than other domains.

Conclusion: Results suggest a potential disconnect in the perceived impact of CAS between the caregiver and child. Recommendations include facilitating a dialogue between the child-caregiver dyad and considering treatment goals that address wellbeing.