Speech-Language Pathologists' Preparedness and Training in Providing Counseling for Children With Communication Disorders

Thursday, 4:00pm to 6:00pm
Seabright
Poster 2
The purpose of this research project was to investigate current knowledge and training, in addition to comfort levels felt amongst school-based speech-language pathologists, when providing counseling to children with communication disorders and their families. The methodology of the current study proposed a non-experimental mixed design that included a demographic data sheet used to analyze any correlations between data analysis and results. Findings of this research indicated that half of participants surveyed reported feeling comfortable when providing counseling, however the remaining half did not report feeling comfortable in providing counseling to children and their families. Furthermore, a large majority of participants reported high interest levels in gaining continuing education in counseling strategies as it pertains to the field of communication disorders. The lack of training found amongst the participants suggests a significant lack of counseling knowledge and training in the area of speech-language pathology, which may pose a negative threat to the effectiveness of speech and language services provided within the school setting.
Track: 
Pediatric