- Title
- Management of childhood stuttering in Sri Lanka
- Creator
- Nonis, Dinusha
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2022
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- Speech and language therapy is a relatively new profession in Sri Lanka. As a result, there is limited research and few experts in specific areas of practice, including stuttering. Stuttering is a speech disorder that affects a person’s ability to communicate. If it is left untreated, it has the potential to become chronic and may negatively affect an individual across their lifespan. There are many treatment programs for stuttering, and speech and language therapists (SALTs) have an ethical obligation to deliver interventions grounded in evidence-based practice with consideration of the sociocultural context in which the interventions are being delivered. At present, little is known about how stuttering is managed by SALTs in Sri Lanka. The study presented in Chapters 3 and 4 used mixed methods to explore the management practices of SALTs when working with individuals who stutter across all age groups in Sri Lanka. Online surveys were conducted with 64 SALTs in Phase 1, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 SALTs in Phase 2. Quantitative data in Phase 1 were analysed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative data in Phase 2 were analysed using thematic analysis. The study identified SALTs’ limited knowledge about some aspects of stuttering treatment and the lack of resources and opportunities to update their knowledge. SALTs also illustrated that efficacy of management may be influenced by clients’ and caregivers’ knowledge and perceptions towards stuttering. This is an important consideration given the significance of early intervention for the treatment of stuttering. As parents play a crucial role in the identification and management of stuttering in early childhood, exploring parental perceptions towards stuttering in Sri Lanka was deemed a crucial part of this research program. However, before conducting this line of research, the worldwide literature related to parental perceptions towards stuttering was explored in depth to understand the scope of other studies and the different methods used. Therefore, Chapter 5 includes a published manuscript of a systematic review that explored parental perceptions of stuttering worldwide. Twenty-one studies conducted in nine countries and published between 1970 and 2019 were included in the review. Data extracted from the studies were analysed using a qualitative deductive content analysis approach. Findings highlighted limited parental knowledge about stuttering and the presence of variable attitudes and reactions towards the disorder cross-culturally. Parental perceptions about stuttering treatment were generally positive regardless of country or treatment type. Further, this paper revealed the limited understanding of parental perceptions towards stuttering in South Asian countries, including Sri Lanka. Parental perceptions towards stuttering in Sri Lanka were explored in the study presented in Chapter 6. A qualitative methodology was used, with online semi-structured interviews of 15 parents of children who stutter. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings indicated limited parental knowledge about stuttering, and variables related to religion and culture strongly influenced how parents perceived the disorder. The results suggested that there is a need for public education around stuttering in Sri Lanka to raise awareness about the disorder, and about the profession of speech and language therapy generally. This program of research identified SALTs’ perspectives and current stuttering management practices in Sri Lanka, parental perceptions towards stuttering worldwide and Sri Lankan parents’ perceptions towards stuttering and its treatment. This thesis highlights the need to raise awareness about stuttering and early intervention in the public, the importance of considering the influence of culture and religion in the management of stuttering, the need for further training for SALTs to improve stuttering management in Sri Lanka, and the need to improve service delivery and logistics in clinical settings.
- Subject
- stuttering management; Sri Lanka; parental perceptions; speech and language therapists
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1508567
- Identifier
- uon:56134
- Rights
- Copyright 2022 Dinusha Nonis
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
- Hits: 52
- Visitors: 62
- Downloads: 15
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Thesis | 15 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Abstract | 316 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |