“We neither meet nor stay in touch”. Parents’ perspectives on collaboration with the school-based speech-language pathologist for students with speech sound disorders

Abstract

The collaboration between school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and parents is considered one of the key factors in the effective speech therapy process. The literature highlights the tendency to recognize the conditions and rationale for cross-sector collaboration between SLPs and other specialists, with less emphasis on cooperation with parents. The conducted study is part of a larger project aimed at characterizing the educational performance of students who continue to experience speech sound disorders. In a collective case study (n=18), parents’ perspectives on cooperation with SLPs were identified, along with their suggestions for improvement. Although the results, which are only valid for the studied group of cases, are not encouraging. They prompt further research into the issues surrounding parent-SLPs collaboration and its determinants, as well as the design of preliminary solutions for optimization.