JCPSLP Vol 21 No 2 2019 DIGITAL Edition

Table 3. Outcomes by school: groups and individual intervention

Childcare centre

Preschool

Primary school 1

Primary school 2

Group 1

N, age

6, 2 years

5, 4–5 years

6, 5–7 years

4, 5–6 years

Dosage

6 x 30 minutes

6 x 45 minutes

7 x 45 minutes

6 x 45 minutes

Target

early words

WL

WL

PA/LK

Referred on

2

1

1

0

Group 2/3

N, age

5, 3–4 years x 2

5, 3–4 years

6, 7–10 years

4, 7–11 years

Dosage

7 x 60 minutes

3 x 45 minutes

6 x 45 minutes

6 x 45 minutes

Target

WL

shared book reading

PA/LK

Narrative/PA

Referred on

0

Not assessed*

2

0

Individual

N, age

12, 2–5 years

9, 3–5 years

16, 5–11 years

12, 5–10 years

6 x 35 minutes 15–45 2 + 1 (audiology)

8 x 37 minutes 20–60

7.5 x 35 minutes 30–60

6.5 x 31 minutes 30–45

Mean dosage Session length range

Referred on

1 +1 (fluency)

2

4

Total referred to local clinicians: 17%

By site

4 (14%)

2 (14%)

5 (19%)

4 (20%)

WL: whole language; PA: phonological awareness; LK: letter knowledge; X: mean. Parents received assessment reports and recommendations; * not assessed due to SLP student illness.

expertise and support. Nicole Ikin provided support during intervention and data collection. Funding was provided by Department of Rural Health, University of Melbourne. References Baker, E. (2012). Optimal intervention intensity in speech- language pathology. International Journal of Speech Language Pathology , 14 (5), 478–85. Bergen, D. (2002). The role of pretend play in children’s cognitive development. Early Childhood Research and Practice , 4 (1). Available from http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v4n1/ bergen.html Black, L., Vahratian, A., & Hoffman, H. (2015). Communication disorders and use of intervention services among children aged 3–17 years . Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. Broomfield, J., & Dodd, B. (2004). Children with speech and language disability: caseload characteristics. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders , 39 (3), 303–324. Bryan A. (1997) Colourful semantics. In S. Chiat, J. Law & J. Marshall J (Eds.). Language disorders in children and adults: psycholinguistic approaches to therapy (pp. 143–146). London: Whurr. Claessen, M., Leitão, S., & Fraser, C.-J. (2017). Intervention for a young child with atypical phonology. In B. Dodd & A. Morgan (Eds.), Intervention case studies of child speech impairment (pp. 275–291). Guildford: J&R Press. Crosbie, C., & Holm, A. (2017). Phonological contrast therapy for children making consistent phonological errors.

literacy difficulties (47%) predominated from mid-primary school. The caseload was, then, typical of community clinics (Broomfield & Dodd, 2004). Intervention outcomes Of 90 children treated, 17% were referred for further intervention: 14% of preschoolers and 19–20% of primary school cases. While preschoolers often respond positively to early intervention, older children’s persistent difficulties may require more therapy. Most children referred for further therapy, however, had improved, despite persisting difficulties (see case synopses A and B). School feedback confirmed data in table 3. The positive outcomes for children receiving student therapy might be attributed to intensive intervention (see Baker, 2012) and providing evidence-based intervention as well as selection of cases likely to respond within the clinic’s time resources. Conclusion RRCPs challenge students to acquire caseload management and clinical decision-making skills (Jones, Lyle et al., 2015) that provide clear benefits for children. Few alternative clinical placements can provide such generalist experience. The clinical placement model might be more widely used in both rural and urban areas for SLP students close to graduation to acquire clinical caseload management skills, enhancing work readiness. Acknowledgements Many thanks to the staff and children of the four clinical sites. Jo Fish and Einasleigh Doughty (SLPs) provided

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JCPSLP Volume 21, Number 2 2019

Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology