Parental Roles in Language Intervention: A Systematic Review.

Area of Science:

• Child Development
• Speech-Language Pathology
• Family-Centered Care

Background:

• Children with language delays (LDs) or language disorders experience developmental challenges.
• Parental involvement is crucial for successful speech and language therapy outcomes.
• Specific parental roles in interventions for LD, DLD, and LD+X are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and synthesize evidence on the roles parents assume in language interventions for children with LD, DLD, and LD+X.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review following PRISMA guidelines, registered on PROSPERO.
• Analysis of studies from four databases involving parent-participatory language interventions.
• Independent screening, quality appraisal, and data extraction by two reviewers.

Main Results:

• Parents most commonly served as Learners, Implementers, and Informers.
• Less frequent roles included Adaptor and Collaborative Decision-Maker.
• Significant variability existed in intervention parameters, but consistency in caregiver/trainer identity and delivery type.

Conclusions:

• Parental roles in language interventions are often guided by professionals, focusing on learning and implementation.
• Strengthening adaptive roles and shared decision-making can enhance family-centered practices.
• Future interventions should consider context-specific needs, encourage involvement, and explore telepractice.