Perspectives of Speech-Language Pathologists on Prosodic Intervention in Children with Hearing Impairment

Prosody is an essential component of speech naturalness and improves speech intelligibility. Prosodic deficits are notably prevalent among children with hearing impairment (CwHI). Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) are service providers responsible for identification and intervention of disorders of prosody. So far, there are limited published reports on the awareness and competence of SLPs in prosody intervention. The present study aimed to understand the knowledge and perspectives on prosody of SLPs working among CwHI through an online survey. A 10-item questionnaire was developed and utilized for this purpose. Additionally, information on the clinical service delivery of the respondents was also collected. A total of 130 SLPs responded to the survey (response rate = 65%). Although most respondents (93.1%) agreed that prosodic impairment impacted speech intelligibility of CwHI, 76.2% never provided intervention for prosodic deficits in CwHI. Several respondents (74.6%) opined of not receiving adequate training on assessment and intervention of prosodic impairments in CwHI. 82.3% of respondents were unaware of prosody assessment or treatment materials for CwHI. More than half of respondents (56.9%) felt that prosody is usually a low priority when considering the speech and language needs for CwHI. Nevertheless, 73% of respondents believed that it is necessary to target prosody as early as possible along with conventional speech and language interventions. The findings from this survey identify a clinical area largely ignored by SLPs among CwHI. Addressing these could lead to more comprehensive clinical care for CwHI, ultimately improving speech intelligibility and communication outcomes.