Parents' experiences learning about their child's communication disorder

What is it about?

When parents have concerns about their child's communication skills, they may seek the services of a speech-language pathologist (SLP). A key part of a speech-language evaluation is diagnostic disclosure, in which the SLP tells the parent that their child has a communication disorder. This paper explored what it is like for parents to learn about their children's speech or language difficulties from an SLP.

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Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com M on Unsplash

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com M on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Our findings provide insight into the perspectives of parents of children with speech and language disorders, including how parents' understanding of and emotional response to the diagnosis and engagement in therapy are shaped by their early interactions with SLPs. These findings may help SLPs refine their diagnostic disclosure practices to meet parents' needs at the time of diagnosis.