Parental perception of the efficacy and effectiveness of a ‘no training needed’ home programme for children with speech sound disorders

Background: A successful alternative to one to one therapy for children with speech sound disorders (SSD) such as a home programme, could reduce the time spent waiting for intervention. Previous studies have established that parents can be as effective as clinicians, as agents of therapy, when training is provided. This study investigates the success from the perspective of the parent, of a ‘no training needed’ home programme. Aims: This study aims to develop a home programme for children with phonological delay and consistent phonological disorder, usable for parents and children without any training. The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and efficacy of this home programme, as measured by parental report. Methods and Procedures: Thirteen mono-lingual, English speaking children (6 girls, 7 boys) with a mean age of 4;03 (range 3;03-5;09) and their parents participated in this study. All children were diagnosed with a phonological delay or consistent phonological disorder and were not currently in receipt of therapy for their SSD. The parents and their children carried out the programme for 15 minutes a day, 6 days a week, for five weeks. Parents completed questionnaires evaluating the impact of their child’s SSD on their communication before and after the programme and evaluating the usability of the programme at the end of the study. Results: 12 out of 13 parents reported that their child’s speech intelligibility had improved after the five week home programme. Parents perceived improvement but not enough to make a change to the impact index as measured by the first questionnaire. Parents and children found the programme to be usable in terms of enjoyment and the materials and instructions provided to be adequate. Some parents found the time requirement difficult to adhere to. Conclusion: This may indicate that a notable change was observed by parents; however, the change was not enough to make a significant impact on their communication with others. The programme activities are enjoyable. Parents were able to carry out the activities within this home programme without any training.