Speech and Language Therapists’ Training and Confidence in Serving Bilingual Clients: An Irish Perspective

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the level of training and confidence of speech and language therapists in serving bilingual clients. Questionnaires were completed by twenty-eight speech and language therapists working in the Munster region of Ireland. Participants worked in community care, hospitals or centres for individuals with learning disability or autism. Results revealed that most (89%) of the participants received undergraduate training in bilingualism. However, of the fifteen topics possible, participants only received training on an average of 5.4 (SD 4.589). Results also revealed that there is a strong desire among the participants for further training on bilingual and multicultural issues. Therapists who trained outside the Republic of Ireland had slightly more undergraduate training than those who had trained in the Republic of Ireland and were reported to be significantly more confident in working with families who don’t speak English and with interpreters (U=46.5, p<0.05 & U=54, p<0.05, respectively). The implications of the study for the profession are discussed.