Conducting a Community Engagement Studio to Adapt Enhanced Milieu Teaching

Area of Science:

• Speech and Language Pathology
• Clinical Research
• Community-Based Participatory Research

Background:

• Implementing evidence-based practices faces multilevel barriers.
• Stakeholder input is crucial for tailoring interventions to specific settings and populations.
• Telepractice offers a potential solution for service delivery in underserved rural areas.

Purpose of the Study:

• To gather stakeholder feedback on telepractice service delivery and implementation strategies for enhanced milieu teaching (EMT).
• To adapt proposed telepractice EMT protocols based on caregiver input for a future study in rural counties.

Main Methods:

• A Community Engagement Studio was conducted with 11 caregivers of children with language delays in rural Oregon.
• Discussions focused on early intervention service delivery and proposed telepractice EMT procedures.
• Feedback was solicited on session scheduling, caregiver implementation strategies, and performance feedback methods.

Main Results:

• The telepractice EMT study protocol was modified based on caregiver feedback.
• Increased session availability and added text-message reminders for parents were implemented.
• A survey was added to identify caregiver preferences for additional implementation strategies and performance feedback formats.

Conclusions:

• Community Engagement Studios are effective for enhancing community involvement in clinical research.
• This method facilitates the adaptation of evidence-based interventions to meet stakeholder needs.
• Stakeholder engagement is vital for successful implementation of telepractice models in speech-language pathology.