[Collaboration and participation of children in speech therapy care]

Situations of non-cooperation/participation of the patient are detected in healthcare,. In many cases, it is impossible to complete the assessment procedures, and procedures of intervention may be prejudiced. This problem has been researched in some health areas, however there are few studies involving activities in Speech Therapy. The scope of this study was to conduct a survey of knowledge and strategies of Speech Therapists when faced with situations considered difficult in clinical practice with children. Semi-structured interviews were staged with students and teachers of an undergraduate course in Speech Therapy at a Brazilian public university, addressing problems encountered in caring for children 4 to 12-year-olds, as well as proposed solutions. Analysis of content of the data involved the construction of a system of categories of reported and proposed strategies. The categories were compared with those obtained in an analogous survey (Pediatric Dental care) and the analysis highlighted specifics of care of each of the professions. The results contributed to the systematization of knowledge relating to collaboration/participation, and revealed the concern of the participants with the humanization of care.