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Family dynamics and language input are related to children's language development. There is empirical evidence that indirect work with the child with DLD is an important component of interventions offered by professionals. This talk is a part of a group of talks on DLD and intervention. Its aim is to discuss the features of indirect approaches in different EU countries, i.e. to explore which professionals deliver it, which family members are involved, and which characteristics of SLPs can be associated with the implementation of indirect approaches. The talk is based on a Practitioner Survey developed within the COST Action IS1406. The majority of analyses stems from the questions exploring the role of parents. There were 4024 respondents - SLPs - from 60 countries (mainly EU Member States). Statistical analyses included Pearson's chi-square and t-tests. Respondents indicated that indirect therapy is provided via parents and teachers, with the latter becoming more involved as children grow and progress through the education system. This approach is implemented by a range of professionals who involve mothers, fathers and other family members. The characteristics of SLPs are not related to the use of indirect techniques, suggesting a general and gradual adoption of these approaches. The importance of indirect approaches to intervention seems to be recognized worldwide, despite differences in cultural, clinical, and research traditions across countries. Since mothers are not the only ones involved, it seems that conventional family roles are slowly being abandoned. Despite the research and clinical implication of the study, future work should investigate the exact nature of the most effective intervention approaches.

There is a lot of research into the effect of intervention for children with language difficulties, but this research can be difficult to access, and it is uncertain to what extent intervention practitioners make use of such research when choosing intervention methods. One of the purposes of COST Action IS1406, which this study is a part of, is to investigate who the practitioners of intervention for children and adolescents with language difficulties are, and which interventions they are actually given. Our study addresses the Norwegian conditions, and looks at who the practitioners of intervention in Norway are, and whether there is a difference between the interventions offered by different occupational groups. The study is based on a survey prepared by a working group from COST Action IS1406, which we have translated and sent to potential informants. The sample consisted of a total of 93 participants, 73 of whom were speech and language therapists (SLP) and 20 had other professional backgrounds. All participants completed the first two parts of the survey, so most of our analyses and discussions are concentrated around these sections. The results of the study show that practitioners of intervention for children and adolescents with language difficulties have many different professional backgrounds, but further indicate that there are small to no differences between the intervention provided by SLPs and other occupational groups. This is despite the fact that the SLPs seem to have a higher educational level than non-SLPs. Further research is needed to determine whether this is actually the case. Hensikten med den studien var å se nærmere på intervensjon rettet mot barn og unge med spesifikke språkvansker i form av hvem som utfører intervensjon og hvordan denne blir utført i Norge. Data ble hentet inn i form av en survey som var utarbeidet i forbindelse med et større internasjonalt forskningsprosjekt ved navn COST Action IS1406. Surveyen ble sendt ut til logopeder og andre aktuelle yrkesutøvere med ansvar for intervensjon rettet mot barn og ungdom. Resultatene som fremkommer av denne studien indikerer at det er mange yrkesgrupper som arbeider med barn og unge med språkvansker, men at det likevel finnes få forskjeller i hvordan intervensjonen blir gitt og den teoretiske begrunnelsen for hvilke type intervensjon som blir gitt mellom logopeder og ikke-logopeder. Det kan være hensiktsmessig med flere studier for å se om de samme resultatene gjør seg gjeldende med et større utvalg av logopeder og ikke-logopeder, og dermed med større sikkerhet kunne si noe om hvorvidt dette stemmer overens med det som foregår i praksis. Masteroppgave i logopedi LOGO345 MAPS-LOG06