Consequential differences in perspectives and practices concerning children with developmental language disorders: an...

Area of Science:

• Speech and Language Therapy
• Education
• Child Development

Background:

• Inter-professional collaboration (IPC) is recommended for supporting children with developmental language disorders (DLD) in schools.
• Effective IPC is hindered by limited knowledge on how to best support it.
• A shared understanding among professionals is critical for successful IPC.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the literature for evidence of shared understanding between speech and language therapy (SLT) and education.
• To investigate how the needs of children with DLD are understood and addressed in school settings across these professions.

Main Methods:

• An integrative review of published literature from 2006-2016.
• Systematic and manual searches were conducted for empirical, theoretical, and policy papers.
• Qualitative content analysis was applied to 81 papers from SLT and education fields.

Main Results:

• Identified commonalities but also significant differences in conceptualizing DLD, assessment methods, outcome priorities, and knowledge for practice.
• Differences between SLT and education perspectives may negatively impact collaborative efforts.
• The literature suggests a potential lack of shared understanding regarding DLD.

Conclusions:

• Effective IPC is vital for children with DLD, yet remains difficult to achieve.
• The literature review indicates a lack of shared understanding between SLT and education regarding DLD.
• A conceptual model may be needed to support IPC if these differences are reflected in practice.