Use of the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behaviour Model and Theoretical Domains Framework to Understand Barriers and Enablers of Research Capacity and Culture for Speech and Language Therapy Staff.

Background: Research Capacity and Culture (RCC) is important for research engagement. Little is known of what speech and language therapy staff perceives to be the barriers or enablers to this at individual, team and organisational levels.

Aims: To identify the barriers and enablers to RCC among speech and language therapy staff, using behaviour change theory as a framework, and to explore their self-reported level of research engagement.

Attention Skills in Children With Nonsyndromic Cleft Lip and Palate.

ObjectiveTo describe attention skills in children with cleft lip and palate across auditory and visual domains and investigate associations with cleft subtype, biological sex, socioeconomic status, and speech and language.DesignA cross-sectional observation study. Setting Participants from regional cleft lip and palate centers seen in schools and home.

Co-design to consensus: Identifying the core elements of a novel intervention for pre-school children with co-occurring phonological speech sound disorder (SSD) and developmental language disorder (DLD) using a modified e-Delphi approach.

Introduction: Although frequently seen in clinical services, there are few interventions which have been developed specifically to meet the needs of pre-school children with co-occurring features of a phonological speech sound disorder (P-SSD) and developmental language disorder (DLD). This study aims to achieve consensus on the core elements of a novel intervention for pre-school children with co-occurring features of P-SSD and DLD ("SWanS"- Supporting Words and Sounds), where expressive vocabulary and speech comprehensibility are joint outcomes of interest.

Methods: Forty-seven potential core intervention elements, based on a priori findings and the wider literature, were generated by a diverse steering group of professionals and people with lived experience within a systematic co-design process.

Towards an Agreed Labelling System and Protocol for the Diagnosis of Speech Sound Disorder Subtypes in the United Kingdom.

Background: There is no single classification system or diagnostic protocol for speech sound disorder (SSD). This makes it difficult to collect large-scale outcome data and determine which interventions work best for which subtypes of SSD. The United Kingdom is unique in that its publicly funded healthcare system allows the collection of such outcome data across large numbers of children; however, a necessary first step towards this is to agree on a consistent diagnostic protocol and classification system for SSD that is feasible for use in the UK healthcare system.

A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing the Efficacy of Pre-School Language Interventions-Building Early Sentences Therapy and an Adapted Derbyshire Language Scheme.

Background: Children's language abilities set the stage for their education, psychosocial development and life chances across the life course.

Aims: To compare the efficacy of two preschool language interventions delivered with low dosages in early years settings (EYS): Building Early Sentences Therapy (BEST) and an Adapted Derbyshire Language Scheme (A-DLS). The former is informed by usage-based linguistic theory, the latter by typical language developmental patterns.

Rethinking speech sound disorder (SSD) in non-syndromic cleft lip and palate: The importance of recognizing phonological and language difficulties.

Background: Children born with cleft palate ± lip (CP ± L) are at risk of speech sound disorder (SSD). Up to 40% continue to have SSD at age 5-6 years. These difficulties are typically described as articulatory in nature and often include cleft speech characteristics (CSC) hypothesized to result from structural differences.

Outcome measures for children with speech sound disorder: an umbrella review.

Objective: Speech sound disorder (SSD) describes a 'persistent difficulty with speech sound production that interferes with speech intelligibility or prevents verbal communication'. There is a need to establish which care pathways are most effective and efficient for children with SSD. Comparison of care pathways requires clearly defined, evidence-based, interventions and agreement on how to measure the outcomes.

Applying behaviour change theory to parent-led language interventions for children in the early years.

Background: The aim of many interventions used by speech and language therapists (SLTs) is to change behaviours related to communication and interaction. Parent-led language interventions for children in the early years (0-5 years) rely on SLTs supporting parents to change their behaviour in child-focused interactions to effect a change in the child's communication. Therapeutic techniques used by SLTs in parent-led language interventions are largely underspecified, impacting on intervention reporting, replication, trialling and development.

Speech sound disorder or DLD (phonology)? Towards a consensus agreement on terminology.

Background: The publication of phase 2 of the CATALISE project in 2017 clarified terminology for children with developmental language disorder (DLD) or delay but unintentionally muddied the water for children with unintelligible speech. A diagnostic label of DLD (phonology) indicates poor prognosis and phonological disorder that persists into middle childhood. However, in contrast to other diagnostic labels that fall under the overarching term of speech sound disorder (SSD), DLD (phonology) does not elucidate the characteristics of the child's speech nor does it point us in the direction of appropriate intervention.

Piloting building early sentences therapy for pre-school children with low language abilities: An examination of efficacy and the role of sign as an active ingredient.

Background: Early intervention is recommended for pre-school children with low language. However, few robustly evaluated language interventions for young children exist. Furthermore, in many interventions the theoretical underpinnings are underspecified and the 'active ingredients' of the interventions not tested.

Ensuring treatment fidelity in intervention studies: Developing a checklist and scoring system within a behaviour change paradigm.

Background: Treatment fidelity refers to the degree to which an intervention is implemented as intended. Promoting treatment fidelity is important to achieve a valid comparison in intervention research. However, it is often underreported: few studies detail the use and development of fidelity measures.

Applying behaviour change theory to speech and language therapy intervention for inducible laryngeal obstruction.

Background: Speech and language therapists (SLTs) provide interventions for inducible laryngeal obstruction (ILO) despite a current lack of evidence to inform intervention delivery. This study is the first step to develop an evidence-based intervention for ILO, using behaviour change theory and the Behaviour Change Technique Taxonomy version 1 (BCTTv1). Outcomes will inform the early development stage of a complex speech and language therapy intervention for ILO, enabling more precise reporting of ILO intervention studies, as per CONSORT guidelines.

Outcome measures for children with speech sound disorder: an umbrella review protocol.

Introduction: Speech sound disorder (SSD) describes a 'persistent difficulty with speech sound production that interferes with speech intelligibility or prevents verbal communication'. There is a need to establish which care pathways are most effective and efficient for children with SSD. Comparison of care pathways requires clearly defined, evidence-based interventions and agreement on how to measure the outcomes.

Early Communication Behaviors in Infants With Cleft Palate With and Without Robin Sequence: A Preliminary Study.

Objective: To investigate the early communication behaviors in infants with nonsyndromic isolated cleft palate (iCP) and Robin sequence (RS).

Design: Group comparison using parent report.

Participants: There were 106 participants included in this study.

Validation of a measure of parental responsiveness: Comparison of the brief Parental Responsiveness Rating Scale with a detailed measure of responsive parental behaviours.

Parental responsiveness is vital for child language development. Its accurate measurement in clinical settings could identify families who may benefit from preventative interventions; however, coding of responsiveness is time-consuming and expensive. This study investigates in a clinical context the validity of the Parental Responsiveness Rating Scale (PaRRiS): a time- and cost-effective global rating scale of parental responsiveness.

Linguistic and auditory processing skills in non-syndromic children with cleft palate: A scoping review.

Background: Cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) is the most common congenital craniofacial condition. Children born with CL/P are at increased risk of persistent speech difficulties related to velopharyngeal incompetence (VPI) and compensatory articulation problems. It has also been reported that they achieve poorer results academically than their peers.

Behaviour change technique taxonomy: a method of describing head and neck cancer dysphagia intervention delivery.

Purpose Of Review: The purpose of the review is to examine the current state of the art of dysphagia intervention delivery description and to propose use of a new tool to facilitate this: the behaviour change technique taxonomy version 1 (BCTTv1).

Recent Findings: Describing intervention delivery is difficult, and published research in the field of speech and language therapy (SLT) does not include detail on this key aspect of research protocols. Interventions themselves are often poorly delineated, and a way is needed of classifying how these interventions are delivered in practice.

Study of child language development and disorders in Iran: A systematic review of the literature.

Child language development and disorder in Iran has been the focus for research by different professions, the most prominent ones among them being psychologists and speech therapists. Epidemiological studies indicate that between 8% and 12% of children show noticeable signs of language impairment in the preschool years; however, research on child language in Iran is not extensive compared to studies in English speaking countries, which are currently the basis of clinical decision-making in Iran. Consequently, there is no information about the prevalence of child language disorders in Iranian population.

Diagnostic accuracy of language sample measures with Persian-speaking preschool children.

This study examined the diagnostic accuracy of selected language sample measures (LSMs) with Persian-speaking children. A pre-accuracy study followed by phase I and II studies are reported. Twenty-four Persian-speaking children, aged 42 to 54 months, with primary language impairment (PLI) were compared to 27 age-matched children without PLI on a set of measures derived from play-based, conversational language samples.

Enhancing research capacity across healthcare and higher education sectors: development and evaluation of an integrated model.

Background: With current policy in healthcare research, in the United Kingdom and internationally, focused on development of research excellence in individuals and teams, building capacity for implementation and translation of research is paramount among the professionals who use that research in daily practice. The judicious use of research outcomes and evaluation of best evidence and practice in healthcare is integrally linked to the research capacity and capabilities of the workforce. In addition to promoting high quality research, mechanisms for actively enhancing research capacity more generally must be in place to address the complexities that both undermine and facilitate this activity.