Secora Kristen, Lee Brittany, Smith David, Coppola Marie
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
University of Connecticut, Storrs.
Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2025 May 6;34(3):1219-1255. doi: 10.1044/2025_AJSLP-24-00298. Epub 2025 Apr 4.
Although approximately 40% of school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) regularly serve Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students, at present, there are no agreed-upon standards specifying the minimum qualifications and best practices for working with this population, especially those who use signed language. The goal of the present study is to establish expert consensus on recommended clinical training and practice for SLPs working with signing DHH children.
Experts in fields related to speech-language pathology and deaf education ( = 30, 16 DHH) participated in three rounds of a classical e-Delphi study. In Round 1, experts responded to open-ended questions about the role of SLPs working with DHH children who sign. In Rounds 2 and 3, experts rated their agreement with statements generated by fellow experts in Round 1.
A mixed-method design included qualitative content analysis (Round 1) and quantitative descriptive statistics (Rounds 2 and 3). Experts rated a total of 185 items in Round 2 and 186 items in Round 3. Consensus (at least 70% agreement) was met for 158 statements, with recommendations for SLPs' knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Consensus was not achieved for 28 items, including the level of American Sign Language proficiency required for SLPs.
This study is the first to elicit input from a panel of experts seeking to establish professional standards for SLPs who work with signing DHH children. These findings contribute to the movement toward more inclusive and culturally responsive clinical practice and can inform educational standards and policy for SLPs. Future research is needed to determine whether practicing SLPs meet these recommended standards and how clinical training can support growth for standards that are not currently being met.
尽管约40%的学校言语语言病理学家（SLP）定期为失聪及听力障碍（DHH）学生提供服务，但目前尚无公认的标准来明确与这一群体合作，尤其是与使用手语的学生合作时的最低资质要求和最佳实践方法。本研究的目的是就针对使用手语的DHH儿童开展工作的SLP的推荐临床培训和实践达成专家共识。
言语语言病理学和聋人教育相关领域的专家（n = 30，其中16名是DHH专家）参与了三轮经典的电子德尔菲研究。在第一轮中，专家们回答了关于SLP与使用手语的DHH儿童合作的角色的开放式问题。在第二轮和第三轮中，专家们对第一轮中其他专家提出的陈述表示同意的程度进行评分。
采用混合方法设计，包括定性内容分析（第一轮）和定量描述性统计（第二轮和第三轮）。专家们在第二轮中总共对185项进行了评分，并在第三轮中对186项进行了评分。158项陈述达成了共识（至少70%的同意率），并针对SLP的知识、态度和实践提出了建议。28项未达成共识，包括SLP所需的美国手语熟练程度。
本研究首次征求了一个专家小组的意见，旨在为与使用手语的DHH儿童合作的SLP制定专业标准。这些研究结果有助于推动更具包容性和文化适应性的临床实践，并可为SLP的教育标准和政策提供参考依据。未来需要开展研究，以确定执业SLP是否符合这些推荐标准，以及临床培训如何能够促进尚未达到的标准的提升。
