Involving parents in the speech and language therapy of children with cochlear implants

This article examines the professional practices of a speech and language therapist in multiparty interaction with children with cochlear implants and their parents. The study aims to provide a more detailed picture of multiparty therapy interaction and to describe shifts in participation during the therapy process. The speech and language therapy sessions of three children, each accompanied by a parent, were video recorded and examined using conversation analysis. The focus of the analysis was on co-operation between the therapist, the parent and the child in task sequences. Sequential structure and turn allocation in multiparty interaction were studied. The analyses showed how the participation and roles of the therapist and the parent developed during the therapy process from therapist-driven task interaction to shared practices between the therapist and parent and finally to parent-driven task interaction. The study reveals the real-life practices of speech and language therapy and introduces the ways in which parents are involved in therapy.