Physician Knowledge and Comfort Identifying Pediatric Speech Sound Development Concerns

Physicians who provide pediatric care play an important role in early identification of developmental communication concerns, yet little is known about their comfort, knowledge, and screening practices related to pediatric speech sound disorders (SSDs). This study examined physicians' perspectives on universal screening, comfort screening speech sound concerns relative to language concerns, characteristics associated with comfort, self-rated knowledge across child linguistic profiles, speech sound screening tool use, and perceived training needs.

U.S.-licensed physicians who provide pediatric care completed a national survey assessing universal screening perspectives, comfort screening speech and language concerns, knowledge of speech sound development, screening tool use, and training needs. Descriptive analyses summarized survey responses. Ordinal mixed-effects and logistic regression models examined differences in comfort and knowledge, and physician characteristics associated with comfort screening speech sound concerns.

Most physicians endorsed universal screening for speech and language development. Physicians reported greater comfort screening language concerns than speech sound concerns. Self-rated knowledge varied across child linguistic profiles, with the lowest knowledge reported for bilingual/multilingual children exposed to English after another language. Physicians reported limited use of speech sound-specific screening tools, and more than 70% endorsed additional training related to speech sound disorders.

Physicians who provide pediatric care support early identification but report domain-specific gaps in comfort and preparation for screening SSDs. Strengthening physician knowledge, practical screening supports, decision tools, and cross-disciplinary collaboration may improve physician comfort identifying pediatric speech sound concerns.