Language Sample Analysis in Clinical Practice: Speech-Language Pathologists' Barriers, Facilitators, and Needs

Area of Science:

• Speech-language pathology
• Developmental language disorder research
• Clinical practice analysis

Background:

• Language sample analysis (LSA) is recognized as valuable by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) for children with developmental language disorder (DLD).
• However, regular LSA performance is infrequent among practicing SLPs.
• Barriers and facilitators to LSA implementation need identification to improve clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify facilitators, barriers, and needs for performing LSA in Dutch SLPs working with children with DLD.
• To assess the impact of a training program on the actual performance of LSA.

Main Methods:

• A focus group of 11 SLPs was conducted to identify barriers, facilitators, and needs.
• Thematic analysis and the theoretical domain framework were used for categorization.
• A training intervention using CLAN software was implemented, followed by pre-, post-, and 3-month follow-up surveys.

Main Results:

• Key barriers included lack of knowledge/skills, time investment, low self-efficacy, role beliefs, and lack of reimbursement.
• Post-training surveys showed no increase in LSA frequency in daily practice.
• CLAN software did not overcome the time barrier, which remained significant.

Conclusions:

• Training alone did not resolve the time barrier for SLPs performing LSA.
• User-friendly software, co-designed with SLPs, may offer a solution.
• Shorter language samples, particularly from narrative tasks, should be considered for short-term improvements.