SLT styles and indications of parent adherence in the clinical encounter regarding home training activities for children with speech/language disorders

Homework is often the parents’ primary task when they are involved in SLT intervention for their child with speech/language disorders. However, little work has been done to examine real-life clinical encounters between parents and SLTs regarding home training activities. This study, employing Conversation Analysis (CA), focuses on whether and how SLTs and parents interactionally establish agreement on the training activities to be performed at home with the child. Video recordings of clinical encounters between five different Danish SLTs and parents of children with speech/ language disorders were analysed. Analyses revealed what seem to be two different interactional styles with regard to the ways parents participated in the talk, and each style exhibited specific interactional features. These findings contribute to an understanding of SLTs’ methods for putting forward recommendations and for providing opportunities for the parents to show their understanding and acceptance of the recommendations and their willingness to take future actions.