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Treating children with phonological problems: does an eclectic approach to therapy work?
Gwen Lancaster1, Susanna Keusch, Abigail Levin
1Merton Council, UK. gwen.lancaster@merton.gov.uk
Summary
An eclectic approach to treating children's speech sound disorders is effective, especially with parent involvement. This study supports clinical practice and highlights the need to bridge research and therapy gaps.
Area of Science:
- Speech-language pathology
- Childhood communication disorders
Background:
- Clinicians and researchers differ in treating children's phonological problems.
- Researchers often use intensive, specific methods, while clinicians prefer eclectic approaches due to time constraints.
- This study investigates an eclectic approach aligned with clinical realities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of an eclectic speech therapy approach for children.
- To assess the impact of parental involvement in therapy.
- To compare therapy outcomes with amounts of intervention typical in clinical settings.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted in Speech and Language Therapy clinics.
- Experiment 1 compared treated children with a delayed treatment group, involving parents in therapy and homework.
- Experiment 2 compared therapist-led treatment, parent-led treatment (after training), and an untreated group.
Main Results:
- Children showed statistically significant improvement during treatment periods.
- Therapist-led treatment yielded significant gains, while parent-led treatment showed lesser but significant gains.
- Untreated children did not exhibit significant changes.
Conclusions:
- An eclectic approach is effective for children with phonological problems, even with limited therapy time.
- Parental involvement significantly aids treatment outcomes.
- A disconnect between research and clinical practice hinders progress in understanding and treating these disorders.
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