Purpose - The aim of this study is to explore short-term outcomes of communication aid provision from the perspective of children with complex communication needs.Design/methodology/approach - A total of ten children were interviewed at two time points. The first interviews took place before or within two weeks of the arrival of a new communication aid. A second follow-up interview was carried out between six and ten weeks later. Initial interviews explored children's views concerning their ability to engage in school activities that they deemed important but difficult to achieve. First interviews also examined children's self-perceptions related to their self-efficacy and self-esteem, and perceptions of others' attitudes towards themselves. Children's views concerning the likely impact of the new communication aid on taking part in activities and their self-concepts were also explored. The follow-up interviews asked children to reflect on the short-term impact of the new communication aid.Findings - Children reported expected and unexpected positive changes at follow-up. Notably, unanticipated and undesirable changes were also reported.Originality/value - The paper addresses the critical issue of early outcomes following communication aid provision from the viewpoint of children themselves.

Teachers, speech and language therapists, teaching assistants and nursery nurses are required to work together in a range of contexts in Foundation Stage (FS) school settings in the UK. In some cases these groups of practitioners are mutually involved in the implementation of a strategy or intervention and in the use of a particular tool or resource with children in these settings. The use of graphic symbols with children in the FS of education is increasingly common in mainstream and special school settings and is an activity that may involve any combination of practitioners in these professional groups. Graphic symbols are used with a wide range of children for a diverse range of purposes. A study was conducted in which the experiences of teachers, speech and language therapists, teaching assistants and nursery nurses using graphic symbols in FS school settings were explored. Practitioners in each of these groups working in the East Midlands region of the UK were interviewed about their experiences of using graphic symbols. The findings of this study encompassed a thematic framework and theoretical model depicting the patterns and themes emerging in the practitioners' accounts. The proposed theoretical model suggests that practitioners are influenced by their unique professional reasoning processes, as well as the ways they perceive their own professional role and the roles of others. This article introduces the proposed theoretical model reflecting the factors influencing the collaborative implementation of graphic symbols in these FS school settings. Implications for collaborative practice in schools are considered.

The recent focus on joint training programmes to support the development of interagency/interdisciplinary collaboration places considerable emphasis on interprofessional education at undergraduate and postgraduate level. It is therefore important to ensure that interprofessional learning is embedded in Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and that professionals across health and education who work together to support children with communication problems can develop a better understanding and appreciation of each other's roles (Wright et al., 2004). This paper presents the findings from a study of interdisciplinary training for early years practitioners aimed at improving identification, understanding and practical support for children at risk of language and literacy difficulties (Wood, Wright and Stackhouse, 2000). Specific activities designed to facilitate interdisciplinary learning are presented and what the practitioners on the courses took away in terms of knowledge, skills and attitude is discussed.

This paper reports findings from part of an evaluation study of the Communication Aids Project (CAP), a government-funded project in England which provided communication aids to school-aged children. The paper focuses on parents’ views of the CAP process and the impact of the aid. Fourteen parents were interviewed twice over the telephone: once before or just as their children received communication aids and again six to eight weeks later. Parents expressed satisfaction with the impact of the aid on their children’s lives and showed they had realistic expectations concerning potential short-and long-term benefits. They raised two main concerns regarding the provision of aids, namely the timescale involved and access to accurate information and advice.

The findings presented in this paper are part of an independent evaluation study of the Communication Aids Project ( CAP). The study was carried out between July 2003 and April 2004 and looked at the impact of CAP on children receiving communication aids and evaluated the CAP strategy of assessment and delivery. In this paper the views of education staff and speech and language therapists who were working with communication aid users in school a re presented. The professionals who were interviewed provided positive feedback on the existence of CAP, on the assessment for the communication aid, particularly where the use of the aid in the classroom was considered, and on the children's increased participation in classroom and learning activities since receiving the aid. They also highlighted the issue of managing parents' expectations regarding the use of aids and the value of and need for continued training for professionals working with communication aids in the classroom. The authors of this article, Jannet Wright, senior lecturer, Chris Donlan, senior lecturer, Caroline Newton, lecturer, and Michael Clarke, lecturer, from University College London; Claire Lister, from the Institute of Child Health, London; and Jasmina Cherguit, assistant psychologist, draw upon their findings to develop recommendations for future policy, practice and professional development.

This paper reports findings from an evaluation study of the Communication Aids Project (CAP), focussing on the perspective of children at points of educational transition and the parents, education staff and Speech and Language Therapists who support them. All participants took part in structured interviews, the individual children face-to-face on a one-to-one basis and the adults over the telephone. Those involved with the study reported positive effects of the communication aid, including in speech and communication activities relevant at transition. They also raised three main concerns regarding the use of the aids during and after transition, namely the portability and security of aids in the new setting; managing the flow of information between schools and in particular the availability of continued training in the support and use of communication aids.

BACKGROUND:Communication disorders affect both sexes and people from all ethnic groups, but members of minority ethnic groups and males in the UK are underrepresented in the speech and language therapy profession. Research in the area of recruitment is limited, but a possible explanation is poor awareness and understanding of speech and language therapy as a profession.AIMS:To investigate factors influencing attitudes to a career in speech and language therapy amongst UK school and college students focusing on the similarities and differences between males and females, and between minority ethnic and white students.METHODS & PROCEDURES:A total of 651 male and female school and college students from a range of ethnic groups and all close to selecting degree courses completed a questionnaire designed to examine the attitudes and awareness of speech and language therapy. Eleven semi-structured follow-up interviews were conducted to help understand the questionnaire findings. Quantitative and qualitative analyses examined differences in attitudes and the awareness of speech and language therapy amongst these groups.OUTCOMES & RESULTS:Overall, one-third of participants said they knew nothing about speech and language therapy, and males were significantly less familiar with it. Less than half the participants were aware that speech and language therapy is a degree course, and minority ethnic participants were significantly less likely to know this. Compared with males, females were almost five times as likely to say they would consider a career in speech and language therapy. Participants with relatives in health-related jobs were significantly more likely to consider speech and language therapy than those without such relatives. Compared with white participants, minority ethnic participants said they placed greater importance on studying for a degree, a profession and a scientific career, and were more influenced by a career's prestige and a high salary.CONCLUSIONS:In order to increase the ethnic and gender diversity of speech and language therapists, the profile of the profession needs to be raised with increased awareness of the degree level courses, the scientific, evidence-based nature of the work, and current salary scales.