Perceptions of Thai Parents Regarding Child Language Development and Parent-Implemented Intervention

Abstract

This phenomenology study was conducted to explore the parents’ perceptions of the language development of children with language impairment (LI) before and after participation in parent-implemented enhanced milieu teaching (EMT) using the teach-model-coach-review (TMCR) model and the parents’ suggestions for improvement in language development of children with LI. Thirteen parents of children with LI participated in semi-structured interview. A thematic analysis was used to analyze the content. The findings of the study show that before participation in the intervention, parents perceived that requesting and asking someone to do something was important for their children, and they expected that their children would reach language development milestones. Parents also expected that speech therapy was clinician-directed therapy. After an eight-week parent training program, parents felt empowered and learned the EMT language strategies and implemented these strategies in the clinical and home settings. They were satisfied with the language outcomes of their children. In addition, the findings of the study show that parents suggest that parent-child interaction and the home language environment play an important role in their child’s language development.