NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Back to results
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Direct linkDirect link
ERIC Number: EJ751036
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Oct
Pages: 12
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0161-1461
EISSN: N/A
Making Evidence-Based Decisions about Child Language Intervention in Schools
Gillam, Sandra Laing; Gillam, Ronald B.
Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, v37 n4 p304-315 Oct 2006
Purpose: The results of recent survey studies suggest that speech-language pathologists base most of their clinical decisions on information they were taught during their graduate programs, their clinical experience, and the opinions of colleagues (T. Wolf & J. Balderson, 2005; R. Zipoli & M. Kennedy, 2005). This is contrary to the principles of evidence-based practice (EBP), in which clinical decisions arise from the integration of scientific evidence, clinician experience, and client needs. Our field's interest in EBP is relatively young. Currently, there are no published committee-derived EBP guidelines for providing language intervention services for children with language disorders. Until national or international organizations publish recommendations from EBP guideline writing panels, clinicians will need to make personal evidence-based decisions with relatively little assistance from outside sources. The purpose of this article is to summarize a seven-step process for making local EBP decisions. Method: The authors provide information about a method for forming clinical questions, finding relevant scientific studies, and evaluating those studies that requires relatively little time and few external resources. The authors also provide a system for integrating scientific evidence with their own expertise and training within the context of their employment settings. Finally, an example is provided to show clinicians how to use the evidence-based decision-making process to answer a clinical question about clinical methods for improving grammatical morphology in children with speech-language impairment. Conclusion: It is possible for clinicians to make time- and resource-efficient evidence-based decisions that integrate scientific evidence, clinical expertise, and student-parent preferences.
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). 10801 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. Tel: 800-638-8255; Fax: 301-571-0457; e-mail: subscribe@asha.org; Web site: http://lshss.asha.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A