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Can Structured Literacy Be a New Dimension for Interprofessional Practice Between Teachers and SLTs? Perceptions of Irish SLTs on Their Capacity and Practices in Supporting Children With Literacy Difficulties

Kazmierczak-Murray, Sylwia orcid logoORCID: 0000-0002-1629-5566, Lehane, Paula orcid logoORCID: 0000-0003-0856-3505 and Hannify, Christina (2025) Can Structured Literacy Be a New Dimension for Interprofessional Practice Between Teachers and SLTs? Perceptions of Irish SLTs on Their Capacity and Practices in Supporting Children With Literacy Difficulties. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 60 (6). ISSN 1460-6984

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.
Metadata
Item Type:Article (Published)
Refereed:Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords:Collaboration; interprofessional education; interprofessional practice; literacy; school-based practice
Subjects:Social Sciences > Education
Social Sciences > Teaching
DCU Faculties and Centres:DCU Faculties and Schools > Institute of Education
DCU Faculties and Schools > Institute of Education > School of Inclusive & Special Education
Research Institutes and Centres > Centre for Inclusive Pedagogy
Publisher:John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Official URL:https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1460-6...
Copyright Information:Athors
ID Code:31881
Deposited On:01 Dec 2025 11:16 by Tom Feeney . Last Modified 01 Dec 2025 11:16
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