Abstract
BACKGROUND: The role of speech and language therapists (SLTs) in supporting literacy in Ireland is especially timely to consider given the expansion of multi-tiered systems of support and the increased provision of structured literacy instruction in schools. To advance SLT-teacher collaboration in literacy, we must first explore Irish SLTs' perspectives. Do they perceive themselves as having the required skills and confidence to support both children with literacy difficulties and the teachers who work with them? AIMS: This study aimed to explore Irish SLTs' current practice and confidence in supporting literacy, as well as their readiness to collaborate with teachers to enhance children's literacy outcomes. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Participants were members of the Irish Association of Speech and Language Therapists' Special Interest Group (SIG) in Developmental Language Disorder. Thirty-five SIG members completed an anonymous online survey, adapted from previous questionnaires, designed to explore SLTs' literacy practices, perceived scope of practice and confidence across different literacy domains. The survey also examined participants' engagement in consultative models of service provision. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Most SLTs felt that supporting children with literacy difficulties fell within their scope of practice; however, only a minority reported overall confidence to work within the literacy domain. Confidence varied across distinct areas of literacy, with participants reporting strong confidence in phonological awareness, vocabulary and morphology - key areas of structured literacy in which teachers often need guidance. In contrast, they reported low confidence in supporting spelling, which a majority of SLTs considered outside of their remit. The findings show clear support among SLTs for the consultative model of service provision, both in terms of its value and feasibility, yet most participants did not include literacy in their consultative work. Overall, there was no clear consensus about the potential contributions SLTs could make to supporting literacy instruction or the multi-tiered systems of support model in schools. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: These findings highlight the need for interprofessional education (IE) initiatives for prospective teachers and SLTs to enhance multi-tiered systems of literacy support in schools. Structured literacy offers a focussed, equitable domain for such collaboration. Future research could explore SLT-teacher partnerships and the development of research scholarship in this area. Strengthening SLTs' role in structured literacy in Ireland could provide a meaningful avenue for interprofessional practice and improve literacy outcomes for children. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS?: What is already known on this subject We know that SLTs have unique linguistic knowledge in phonology, morphology and syntax, which are key domains of structured literacy. While an increasing body of international research is exploring the role of SLTs in literacy instruction, there remains a notable gap in the literature within the Irish context. What this paper adds to existing knowledge The study considers Irish SLTs' current practice and confidence in relation to supporting literacy outcomes. It shows a lack of clear consensus about the potential contributions SLTs can make to supporting literacy instruction and the multi-tiered systems of support model in schools and opens discussion on literacy as a domain of interprofessional education and practice in Ireland. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? We propose that Irish SLTs could offer more guidance to teachers and schools in relation to distinct areas of structured literacy instruction, as well as extend their collaborations with special education teachers (SETs) who work with dyslexic learners. However, without sufficient preparation, such collaborations have already been shown to be difficult to achieve. Our findings add to the growing support for the development of interprofessional education for prospective teachers and SLTs, and we propose that structured literacy could provide an equitable focus that such initiatives need.