SLT beliefs about collaborative practice: Implications for education and learning

Abstract

Effective collaborative practice is expected of newly qualified speech and language therapists (SLTs) in order to achieve the best outcomes for clients. Research into collaborative practice has identified a number of barriers to and facilitators of collaborative practice, but there has been limited research into the perceptions of these by newly qualified practitioners or how well prepared they feel to carry out collaborative practice. There is emerging research into the teaching of collaborative practice in higher education institutions; however studies have typically focused on medical professions, with limited research into the teaching of collaborative practice for allied health professionals. This study set out to elicit newly qualified SLTs' beliefs about collaborative practice in paediatric work settings, the effectiveness of the teaching of This study adds to the literature on barriers to and facilitators of collaborative practice. It also serves as a preliminary study into the perspectives of newly qualified SLTs regarding the current teaching of collaborative practice and how university courses could be improved.

What are the experiences of speech and language therapists implementing a staff development approach in early years settings to enhance good communication practices?

“…SLTs reflected on their own knowledge and skills which affected their effectiveness as implementers of the intervention. Specifically, they expressed that their clinical training had not prepared them for the way a collaborative role would operate within the LLA (Jago and Radford, 2017). If this type of approach is going to continue to be used as an intervention model, then SLTs should receive pre-qualification training in this way of working.…”

“…The investment of time and energy by SLTs is often thwarted by a setting's own different priorities and the fact that some individual LLs do not necessarily support the ongoing embedding of good practice. Jago and Radford (2017) identify the individual practitioner as a potential barrier or enabler to this type of collaborative working and Baxter et al (2009) note the influence of power and hierarchy within teams in implementing collaborative working. Payler and Georgeson (2013) also note the historical disparity in resourcing issues within different types of setting, affecting the potential ability of practitioners to collaborate effectively.…”

“…The key concept of a language ‘champion’ was a central theme in the development, promotion and application of the LLA (Law and Pagnamenta, 2017). There is evidence which suggests that SLTs place high value on collaborative working (Jago and Radford, 2017), although some research suggests that interprofessional working is not always easy to negotiate and there may be structural and relational difficulties in cross-boundary working (Payler and Georgeson, 2013), including staff feeling under-supported (Baxter et al, 2009). Understanding contextual issues is likely to be crucial for successful collaboration.…”

Educators’ perspectives on facilitating computer-assisted speech intervention in early childhood settings

“…Service delivery choices in speech and language therapy can be complex and multidimensional and require consideration of factors such as service location, service provider roles, service format, schedule of service, service intensity, and pre-service experiences (Cirrin et al, 2010; Fairweather et al, 2016; Jago and Radford, 2017; Schooling et al, 2010). Two of the most commonly employed models in which SLTs and educators jointly provide services in education settings are collaborative and consultative models.…”

“…The collaborative model is favoured as a model as it allows greater generalization of new speech, language, and communication skills (Mount, 2014), simultaneous attention to speech, language, communication, literacy, social, and curricular issues that may be interdependent (Wright and Kersner, 2004), inter-professional growth and skills (Hong and Shaffer, 2015; Marshall et al, 2002), and increased understanding of the roles, skills, and knowledge of other professionals (Mount, 2014). However, there is only limited research evidence available that demonstrates collaborative models are effective for the ‘delivery of intervention targeting specific speech and language skills’ (Jago and Radford, 2017: 202). Collaborative intervention requires educators and SLTs to have access to the same space, which poses difficulties in many contexts due to factors such as geographic distance between the SLT and the education environment, SLTs not being employed to work within education environments, and workforce shortages (El-Choueifati et al, 2012; McAllister et al, 2011; O’Brien et al, 2006).…”