Parent reactions to speech therapy involvement

While there has been an increased emphasis on parental involvement in speech therapy service delivery in recent years, there has been relatively little investigation into parents' feelings about such involvement and their resultant attitudes toward therapy. The current study explored the speech therapy experience through the eyes of seven Australian parents attending private speech therapy. Thematic analysis revealed that parents had an overall positive attitude towards current speech pathology services, and saw themselves in a complementary relationship with the SLP. The SLP was seen as expert and model, with parents identifying themselves as active learners/observers in the sessions but active teachers and therapists beyond the sessions. Prior to attending the service, parents had expected to be involved in therapy and felt positive about their involvement; however, some were surprised at the duration and intensity of their involvement. Results are discussed in terms of implications for clinical practice.