TY - JOUR
T1 - Serving young children with communication disabilities from Latinx backgrounds and their families with equity
T2 - Provider perspectives
AU - Cycyk, Lauren M.
AU - Coles, Katie
AU - O'Dea, Kenneth
AU - Moore, Heather
AU - Sanford-Keller, Hannah
AU - Dolata, Jill
AU - De Anda, Stephanie
AU - Gomez, Mauricio
AU - Huerta, Lidia
AU - Libak, Alyssa
AU - Zuckerman, Katharine E.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by a Oregon Health and Science University and University of Oregon Collaborative Seed Grant awarded to Lauren M. Cycyk and Katharine E. Zuckerman. Financial support for this work was also provided in part by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded to Stephanie De Anda (K23DC018033). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2022/9/1
Y1 - 2022/9/1
N2 - Introduction: Latinx children with communication disorders from birth to age 5 and their families are increasingly served in United States (US) educational and medical settings where longstanding structural barriers threaten their access to equitable assessment and intervention. However, little is known about providers’ perceptions serving this highly diverse population as they relate to reducing disparities in care for communication disorders. Methods: This exploratory qualitative study interviewed 24 speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and early intervention (EI)/early childhood special education (ECSE) developmental specialists serving young Latinx children with communication disorders to offer targeted recommendations toward improving equity. The semi-structured interview included questions regarding communication assessment, diagnostics/eligibility, intervention, interpretation, translation, and solutions to enhance EI/ECSE. Interviews were coded with content analysis using elements of grounded theory, and responses from SLPs in medical versus education settings and from EI/ECSE developmental specialists were compared. Data triangulation was used to validate themes. Results: Analysis revealed the following themes related to provider challenges and resources: family factors, provider factors, cultural and linguistic differences, assessment approaches, eligibility determinations, translation and interpretation, and institutional factors. Few variations in themes between provider types (SLPs vs. EI/ECSE developmental specialists) and settings (medical vs. educational) were found. Providers also offered several policy and practice solutions. Conclusions: Findings suggest minimal advances in improving equity for young Latinx children with communication disorders over prior decades. Results also indicate that providers may benefit from reflecting on their cultures and biases as well as systemic racism within EI/ECSE.
AB - Introduction: Latinx children with communication disorders from birth to age 5 and their families are increasingly served in United States (US) educational and medical settings where longstanding structural barriers threaten their access to equitable assessment and intervention. However, little is known about providers’ perceptions serving this highly diverse population as they relate to reducing disparities in care for communication disorders. Methods: This exploratory qualitative study interviewed 24 speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and early intervention (EI)/early childhood special education (ECSE) developmental specialists serving young Latinx children with communication disorders to offer targeted recommendations toward improving equity. The semi-structured interview included questions regarding communication assessment, diagnostics/eligibility, intervention, interpretation, translation, and solutions to enhance EI/ECSE. Interviews were coded with content analysis using elements of grounded theory, and responses from SLPs in medical versus education settings and from EI/ECSE developmental specialists were compared. Data triangulation was used to validate themes. Results: Analysis revealed the following themes related to provider challenges and resources: family factors, provider factors, cultural and linguistic differences, assessment approaches, eligibility determinations, translation and interpretation, and institutional factors. Few variations in themes between provider types (SLPs vs. EI/ECSE developmental specialists) and settings (medical vs. educational) were found. Providers also offered several policy and practice solutions. Conclusions: Findings suggest minimal advances in improving equity for young Latinx children with communication disorders over prior decades. Results also indicate that providers may benefit from reflecting on their cultures and biases as well as systemic racism within EI/ECSE.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2022.106254
DO - 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2022.106254
M3 - Article
C2 - 36027806
AN - SCOPUS:85136517000
SN - 0021-9924
VL - 99
JO - Clinics in communication disorders
JF - Clinics in communication disorders
M1 - 106254
ER -