Background: Despite the compelling case for engaging parents in speech and language therapy, research indicates that speech and language therapists (SLTs) currently have a leading role in the goal-setting process of therapy for children with developmental language disorder (DLD). Therefore, we set out to develop a tool that aims to support the dialogue between SLTs and parents and enhance shared decision-making about children's communicative participation goals. We used co-design techniques with SLT–practitioners to include their perspectives throughout the design process. Although co-design has been used for some years in healthcare research, it is still a relatively new research methodology in the field of speech and language therapy. Aims: To provide a detailed description of the co-design process that led to the development of a physical artefact that can support SLTs to engage parents of children with DLD in collaborative goal-setting. Methods & Procedures: The Design Council's Double Diamond model was used to develop a tool in co-design, together with eight SLTs, who participated in all stages of the development process. Usability was tested in actual goal-setting conversations between four SLTs and 11 parents of a child with DLD resulting in stepwise improvements. In addition, usability of the first and final prototypes was tested with five usability criteria that were rated on a 10-point scale by 64 SLTs. Outcomes & Results: The co-design process resulted in the development of a physical prototype of the tool called ‘ENGAGE’, consisting of a metal ‘tree trunk’ on which parents can stick magnetic ‘leaves’ containing potential participation goals for their child. The ‘tree’ shape represents a child's development and opportunities for growth. This first prototype received marks between 7.0 and 8.0 out of 10 on attractiveness, user-friendliness, safety, functionality and affordability. After several iterations, there were significantly higher marks for attractiveness, user-friendliness and safety in favour for the final prototype. Marks for functionality and affordability did not change significantly. Conclusions & Implications: As researchers we usually develop pen-and-paper tools, interview protocols, apps or questionnaires to support clinical practice. Including the SLTs’ perspectives in the design process resulted in a tree-shaped physical artefact that, according to the SLTs, helps to order information and encourages and guides their dialogue with parents. We strongly advocate the inclusion of end-users in developing innovative user-centred tools for speech and language therapy and we hope that this will become widespread practice.
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In order to optimize collaboration between Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) and parents of children with Developmental Language Disorders (DLD), our aim was to study what is needed for SLTs to transition from the parent-as-therapist aide model to the FCC model and optimal collaborate with parents. Chapter 2 discusses the significance of demystifying collaborative working by making explicit how collaboration works. Chapter 3 examines SLTs’ perspectives on engaging parents in parent-child interaction therapy, utilizing a secondary analysis of interview data. Chapter 4 presents a systematic review of specific strategies that therapists can employ to enhance their collaboration with parents of children with developmental disabilities. Chapter 5 explores the needs of parents in their collaborative interactions with SLTs during therapy for their children with DLD, based on semi-structured interviews. Chapter 6 reports the findings from a behavioral analysis of how SLTs currently engage with parents of children with DLD, using data from focus groups. Chapter 7 offers a general discussion on the findings of this thesis, synthesizing insights from previous chapters to propose recommendations for practice and future research.
From the article: "Individuals with dementia often experience a decline in their ability to use language. Language problems have been reported in individuals with dementia caused by Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease or degeneration of the fronto-temporal area. Acoustic properties are relatively easy to measure with software, which promises a cost-effective way to analyze larger discourses. We study the usefulness of acoustic features to distinguish the speech of German-speaking controls and patients with dementia caused by (a) Alzheimer’s disease, (b) Parkinson’s disease or (c) PPA/FTD. Previous studies have shown that each of these types affects speech parameters such as prosody, voice quality and fluency (Schulz 2002; Ma, Whitehill, and Cheung 2010; Rusz et al. 2016; Kato et al. 2013; Peintner et al. 2008). Prior work on the characteristics of the speech of individuals with dementia is usually based on samples from clinical tests, such as the Western Aphasia Battery or the Wechsler Logical Memory task. Spontaneous day-to-day speech may be different, because participants may show less of their vocal abilities in casual speech than in specifically designed test scenarios. It is unclear to what extent the previously reported speech characteristics are still detectable in casual conversations by software. The research question in this study is: how useful for classification are acoustic properties measured in spontaneous speech."
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Zelfregie, empowerment, patiënt centraal: in elk rapport over de zorg komen we deze woorden tegen. Maar hoe doe je dat eigenlijk als zorgprofessional? Het project COMPLETE richt zich op de samenwerking tussen ouders van jonge kinderen met ontwikkelingsstoornissen en zorgprofessionals. Deze samenwerking is een van de belangrijkste aspecten van interventie bij jonge kinderen. Logopedisten werken dagelijks met peuters met taalontwikkelingsstoornissen. Taaltherapie is kindgericht, waarbij de samenwerking met ouders vaak slechts beperkt is vormgegeven. Logopedisten geven aan handelingsverlegenheid te ervaren in de samenwerking met ouders. Zij weten niet hoe ze echte betrokkenheid en partnerschap tot stand kunnen brengen. Ouders herkennen de ervaringen van professionals. Zij ervaren variatie in de mate waarin zij betrokken worden bij therapie en willen versterkt worden in de mogelijkheden om de ontwikkeling van hun kind te stimuleren. Het belang van samenwerking volgt ook uit effectstudies. Voor succesvolle interventies moeten ouders een belangrijke rol spelen in de behandeling, empowered worden en eigen regie ervaren. De urgentie van deze vraag komt specifiek aan de orde in de kennisagenda Logopedie en ouderbetrokkenheid is onderdeel van het kwaliteitsbeleid van de beroepsvereniging. Het project COMPLETE wil bijdragen aan de vragen van logopedisten en ouders. Het project start met kwalitatief onderzoek naar de behoeften en ervaren barrières in samenwerking bij logopedist en ouders en een systematisch literatuuronderzoek naar deze aspecten. Deze aspecten worden omgezet naar actieve doelstellingen waarmee professionals de samenwerking kunnen verbeteren. In de volgende stappen ontwikkelen we in co-design tools die hierbij ondersteunen. Daarnaast gaan we op zoek naar bestaande tools die we samen met de praktijk op bruikbaarheid testen en aanpassen. Het project resulteert in een toolbox voor samenwerking tussen logopedisten en ouders van jonge kinderen. De uitkomsten en opbrengsten van dit project zijn ook relevant voor andere zorgprofessionals die werken met ouders van jonge kinderen met ontwikkelingsstoornissen.