A scoping review of speech-language pathologists' experiences, practices, attitudes and perspectives of working with people who stutter

Abstract

Background and purpose: Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) can play an integral role working with people who stutter (PWS) across the lifespan. There is a rich, yet relatively recent, history of research capturing specific aspects of the role, yet no paper has sought to combine the published literature relating to it. This review is intended to: (1) establish key themes related to SLPs' experiences, practices and attitudes of working with PWS; (2) determine how these may have changed over time; and (3) identify what gaps in the knowledge about this topic still exist.

Methods: A scoping review was conducted to synthesise all relevant peer-reviewed literature. Studies were included if they met the following inclusion criteria: a) reported on primary research; b) published in a peer-reviewed journal; c) written in English, and, d) reported on SLPs working with people who stutter.

Results: A total of 897 articles were identified and reviewed, with 27 included in the final analysis. Content analysis of the study results revealed themes relating to SLP factors, SLP attitudes, clinical management and service delivery.

Conclusion: While much has been published on this topic, and considerable change has been observed over time, there is still much to learn. Future investigations may include more in-depth exploration of SLPs' lived experience working with PWS and a systematic approach to increase SLP competency and confidence in working with PWS.

Keywords: Attitudes; Competency; Practices; Speech-language pathologists; Stuttering.