Campus Location
Dallas Campus (Online)
Date of Award
3-2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Department
Organizational Leadership
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Committee Chair or Primary Advisor
Antonina Lukenchuk
Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor
Julie Lane
Third Committee Member or Committee Reader
Teresa Starrett
Abstract
This qualitative case study explored the knowledge and experiences of 12 speech-language pathologists (SLPs) regarding the culture and linguistic processes of the Deaf culture when assessing and treating deaf and hard of hearing children ages 2 to 9. Data analysis has resulted in identification of the following main themes: (a) The Scope of Practice, (b) Barriers Regarding Culturally and Linguistically Informed Practices, and (c) Awareness of Similarities and Differences in Language Acquisition and Structures in English and American Sign Language (ASL). The findings of this study underscored the importance of knowledge that SLPs have to acquire in order to provide appropriate services to the deaf and hard hearing children. The participants referred to the lack of such knowledge during their academic studies. As SLPs in practice, they encountered several barriers in terms of assessing and treating the language of the deaf and hard of hearing children, which was due to the influence the language in which therapy takes place. Most of the participants of this study were not aware of the existence of assessments that have ASL as the language in which testing tools are standardized in order to assess vocabulary, phonology, morphosyntax, and narrative skills. This study contributes to new insights into the knowledge and experiences of SLPs who provide services for deaf and hard of hearing children.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
García-Benavides, Irene S., "Speech-Language Pathologists’ Barriers to Providing Services to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children Ages 2–9" (2023). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 562.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/562