Matching services to need in children with speech sound disorders: A Caregiver Administered Tool

Speech sound disorders (SSD) impact a child’s ability to accurately use the sounds of their language. Depending on the type or severity of the error(s), these disorders can be treated through a wide range of services which may include one-on-one or group sessions with a speech language pathologist. When children are referred for SSDs, health authorities are faced with the challenge of quickly matching an individual child’s need to the appropriate service. One way of accomplishing this is to initially group children based on basic information provided by their caregiver, instead of having each family wait for an in depth assessment by a speech language pathologist. The purpose of this research project is to develop a questionnaire that caregivers can complete when they have concerns about their children’s speech development. The tool will collect key indicators of the type and severity of the concern to quickly and efficiently match a child’s individual needs to the available services. The tool will be developed in consultation with content experts including researchers, speech language pathologists and caregivers. This project is being sponsored by Alberta Health Services, the health authority responsible for providing services to over 3 million Albertans.

Faculty Supervisor:

Andrea MacLeod;Doug Gross

Student:

Partner:

Alberta Health Services

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Public administration

University:

University of Alberta

Program: