Rose Watson|Lindsay Pennington
Assessment and management of the communication difficulties of children with cerebral palsy: a UK survey of SLT practice
Newcastle University|Newcastle University
communication difficulties common cerebral palsy cp frequently associated motor intellectual sensory impairments speech language therapy research comprises singlecase experimental design small group studies limiting evidencebased intervention possibly exacerbating variation practiceto describe assessment intervention practices speechlanguage therapist slts uk management communication difficulties associated cp childhoodan online survey assessments interventions employed uk slts working children young people cp conducted survey publicized via nhs trusts royal college speech language therapists rcslt private practice associations using variety social media survey open 5 december 2011 30 january 2012two hundred sixtyfive uk slts worked children young people cp england n 199 wales n 13 scotland n 36 northern ireland n 17 completed survey slts reported using wide variety published standardized tests commonly reported assessing oromotor function speech receptive expressive language communication skills observation using assessment schedules developed highly prioritized areas intervention dysphagia alternative augmentative aacinteraction receptive language slts reported using wide variety techniques address difficulties speech language communication interventions used supporting evidence many slts felt unable estimate hours therapy per year children young people cp communication disorders received servicethe assessment management communication difficulties associated cp childhood varies widely uk lack standard assessment practices prevents comparisons across time services adoption standard set agreed clinical measures would enable benchmarking service provision permit development largescale research studies using routine clinical data facilitate identification potential participants research studies uk interventions provided lack evidence recent systematic reviews could guide intervention robust evidence needed areas addressed clinical practice