ACQ_Vol_11_no_3_2009

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ACQ Volume 11, Number 3 2009 145
in their ability to identify and adapt their communication
style and treatment plan for children with communication
difficulties subsequent to collaboration with speech
pathologists.
Method
Participants
Participants were 9 mental health clinicians working as case
managers for the complex trauma treatment team. The
group included 6 clinical psychologists, 2 social workers and
1 occupational therapist. All clinicians were asked to
complete pre-questionnaires when they commenced
employment with this team.
Questionnaires
Pre and post questionnaires were developed by the speech
pathologists and research officer of the complex trauma
team. These consisted of:
• pre-evaluation questionnaires prior to collaboration with
speech pathology. This questionnaire consisted of 5
questions, asking the participant to rate their level of
confidence in working with children with communication
impairment on a five point scale.
• post-evaluation questionnaires administered after 6
months of clinician collaboration with speech pathology.
include a speech pathologist, because of the strong
evidence in the literature of communication impairment in
children with a history of abuse and neglect, management
determined that the two speech pathologists working within
community mental health would extend their service and
collaborate with the complex trauma treatment team in the
following areas:
• attending case conference;
• assisting with the identification and subsequent
management of children with communication difficulties;
• providing input into treatment planning, and enhancing
the teams’ capacity to plan and deliver more appropriate
intervention;
• helping mental health clinicians interpret speech
pathology assessments in terms of the child’s bio-
psycho-social functioning;
• performing communication assessments and feedback
utilising a bio-psycho-social model;
• providing education about communication and mental
health;
• psycho-education to key stakeholders about
communication; and
• facilitating referrals to relevant services.
The aims of this study were to ascertain if the mental
health clinicians within the team perceived an increase
Table 1. Results of the pre and post questionnaires (n = 9)
Question Pre-questionnaire Post questionnaire
Please state how confident you feel when identifying communication impairment in 25% confident 71% confident
children? 50% uncertain 29% uncertain
25% reasonably uncertain
How confident are you when managing a child with communication impairment? 50% uncertain 86% confident
25% reasonably uncertain 14% reasonably uncertain
25% very uncertain
How confident are you in adapting your therapy to meet the needs of a child or adolescent 25% confident 72% confident
with communication impairment? 50% uncertain 14% uncertain
25% reasonably uncertain 14% reasonably uncertain
Do you feel confident adjusting your style of communication to accommodate for those 50% confident 71% confident
children with a communication difficulty? 50% uncertain 29% uncertain
Do you believe you have a thorough understanding of the co-morbid nature of 25% thorough 29% very thorough
communication and mental health problems? 75% uncertain 14% thorough
57% uncertain
The role of the SLP (assessment and consultation) is adequate to service the needs of Post only 12.5% strongly agree
the children: 50% agree
12.5% uncertain
12.5% disagree
12.5% strongly disagree
I believe the time SLPs are able to devote to the team is adequate to service the clients Post only 25% strongly agree
with a SL deficit: 25% agree
37.5% disagree
12.5% strongly disagree
It is easy to identify if the children referred are receiving other SLP interventions: Post only 50% agree
12.5% uncertain
37.5% disagree
I think some children would have better outcomes if they received direct interventions Post only 50% strongly agree
from the speech and language pathologists. 50% agree
I think the time between identification and assessment of the child is acceptable: Post only 12.5% strongly agree
62.5% agree
12.5% uncertain
12.5% disagree