RELYING ON INFORMAL SOURCES IN SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPY: WHY AND HOW?

Authors

  • Fatma Canan Durgungoz PhD, Child Development, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ahi Evran University, Kirsehir, Turkey

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejse.v7i3.3898

Keywords:

informal sources, speech and language therapy, clinical reasoning, developmental language delay

Abstract

This study aims to explore whether and why speech and language therapists (SLTs) use informal sources to guide their intervention decisions for children with developmental language delay (DLD). A qualitative study was conducted. Sixteen Turkish SLTs participated in this study. The methods of interviewing, participant observation and audio diary were used. An inductive thematic approach was taken to analyse the data. Five main themes were revealed from the data: 'The lack of trust in the formal standardised tests and sources', 'experience over theory', 'trial-error, 'other professionals’ opinion' and 'instinct' showed that the SLTs value variety of sources and their cumulative experience when making an intervention decision. While evidence-based practice (EBP) has been increasingly used and encouraged in the SLT profession, this study shows that informal sources play a significant role in SLTs' clinical reasoning. This study sheds light on the behind factors of relying on informal sources to make intervention decisions. The role and dynamic of using informal sources could help understand the value and risks of this approach in clinical reasoning.

Article visualizations:

Hit counter

Author Biography

  • Fatma Canan Durgungoz, PhD, Child Development, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ahi Evran University, Kirsehir, Turkey
    Fatma Canan Durgungoz has completed her PhD in Special Needs at the University of Nottingham and currently works as a lecturer at the Department of Child Development at Ahi Evran University, Turkey. orcid.org/0000-0001-8758-1861

References

Arlene, M., & Bernie, C. (2015). ‘We don't have recipes; we just have loads of ingredients’: explanations of evidence and clinical decision making by speech and language therapists. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 21(6), 1142-1150. https://doi.org/doi:10.1111/jep.12285

ASHA. (2019). Committee on Clinical Research, Implementation Science, and Evidence-Based Practice. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association https://www.asha.org/about/governance/committees/committees/committee-on-clinical-research-implementation-science-and-evidence-based-practice/

ASHA. (n.d.). The Decide Framework. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. https://www.asha.org/siteassets/uploadedfiles/ASHA/Research/EBP/The-DECIDE-Framework.pdf

ASHA, A. S.-L.-H. (2005). Evidence-based practice in communication disorders.

Benner, & Tanner, C. (1987). Clinical Judgment: How Expert Nurses Use Intuition. The American Journal of Nursing, 87(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.2307/3470396

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative research in psychology, 3(2), 77-101.

Brener, L., Vallino-Napoli, L. D., Reid, J. A., & Reilly, S. (2003). Accessing the evidence to treat the dysphagic patient: Can we get it? Is there time? Asia Pacific Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing, 8(1), 36-43. https://doi.org/10.1179/136132803805576345

Carter, J. A., Lees, J. A., Murira, G. M., Gona, J., Neville, B. G., & Newton, C. R. (2005). Issues in the development of cross‐cultural assessments of speech and language for children. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 40(4), 385-401.

Crow, R., Chase, J., & Lamond, D. (1995). The cognitive component of nursing assessment: an analysis. Journal of advanced nursing, 22(2), 206-212. https://doi.org/doi:10.1046/j.1365-2648.1995.22020206.x

Durgungoz, F. C. (2019). Speech and language therapists’ decision-making process:

exploring factors behind intervention decisions for children with developmental language disorder in Turkey (Doctoral dissertation, University of Nottingham).

Durgungoz, F. C., & Emerson, A. (2021). Decision Making of Speech and Language Therapists: Science or Intuition? International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2021.1966759

Enderby, P., & John, A. (1999). Therapy outcome measures in speech and language therapy: comparing performance between different providers. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 34(4), 417-429. https://doi.org/10.1080/136828299247360

Gall, M. D., Borg, W. R., & Gall, J. P. (1996). Educational research: An introduction. Longman Publishing.

Geertz, C. (2008). Thick description: Toward an interpretive theory of culture. In The Cultural Geography Reader (pp. 41-51). Routledge.

Howard, D. P., & de Salazar, M. N. (1984). Language and cultural differences in the administration of the Denver Developmental Screening Test. Child Study Journal.

Kahmi, A. (2006). Combining research and reason to make clinical decisions. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 37, 255-256.

Kaye, D. (1995). Sources of information, formal and informal. Management decision.

Law, J., Garrett, Z., & Nye, C. (2003). Speech and language therapy interventions for children with primary speech and language delay or disorder. Wiley Online Library.

Lum, C. (2013). Scientific thinking in speech and language therapy (2 ed.). Psychology Press.

Mason, M. (2010). Sample size and saturation in PhD studies using qualitative interviews. Forum qualitative Sozialforschung/Forum: qualitative social research,

McCurtin, A., & Amanda, C. (2015). What are the primary influences on treatment decisions? How does this reflect on evidence-based practice? Indications from the discipline of speech and language therapy. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 21(6), 1178-1189. https://doi.org/doi:10.1111/jep.12385

Miller, V. (1984). Denver Developmental Screening Test: cultural variations in Southeast Asian children. Journal of Pediatrics, 104(3), 481-482.

Moreland, J., & Cowie, B. (2007). Young children taking pictures of technology and science. University of Waikato, 172-181.

Morse, J. M. (2000). Determining sample size. In: Sage Publications Sage CA: Thousand Oaks, CA.

Records, N. L., & Tomblin, J. B. (1994). Clinical Decision MakingDescribing the Decision Rules of Practicing Speech-Language Pathologists. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 37(1), 144-156. https://doi.org/10.1044/jshr.3701.144

Roulstone, S. (2001). Consensus and variation between speech and language therapists in the assessment and selection of preschool children for intervention: a body of knowledge or idiosyncratic decisions? International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 36(3), 329-348.

Schlosser, R., & Raghavendra, P. (2003). Toward evidence-based practice in AAC. The efficacy of augmentative and alternative communication: Toward evidence-based practice, 259-297.

Thome, E. K., Loveall, S. J., & Henderson, D. E. (2020). A Survey of Speech-Language Pathologists' Understanding and Reported Use of Evidence-Based Practice. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 5(4), 984-999. https://doi.org/doi:10.1044/2020_PERSP-20-00008

Thompson, C., & Dowding, D. (2002). Clinical decision making and judgement in nursing. John Wiley & Sons.

Topbaş, S. (2014). Turkish: Linguistic and Cultural Considerations for SLPs in Multilingual Contexts. Perspectives on Communication Disorders and Sciences in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) Populations, 21(3), 96-104.

Waller, G., & Turner, H. (2016). Therapist drift redux: Why well-meaning clinicians fail to deliver evidence-based therapy, and how to get back on track. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 77, 129-137. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2015.12.005

Weinsier, R. (1987). Etiology, complications, and treatment of obesity. A clinician's guide. The Alabama journal of medical sciences, 24(4), 435-442.

Williamson, I., Leeming, D., Lyttle, S., & Johnson, S. (2015). Evaluating the audio-diary method in qualitative research. Qualitative Research Journal, 15(1), 20-34. https://doi.org/doi:10.1108/QRJ-04-2014-0014

Yin, R. K. (2014). Case study research: Design and methods. Sage publications.

Zipoli, J. R. P., & Kennedy, M. (2005). Evidence-Based Practice Among Speech-Language Pathologists Attitudes, Utilization, and Barriers. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 14(3), 208-220. https://doi.org/10.1044/1058-0360(2005/021)

Downloads

Published

2021-08-22

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 3 (2021)

Section

Articles

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

 

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

 

  1. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

 

  1. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).