Browsing by Subject "vuorovaikutustaidot"

Objectives. Although children with language impairment typically have difficulties processing linguistic structures and with pragmatics, they have also been described as resourceful in conversations. Difficulties in linguistic skills affect speech production, causing communication breakdowns in conversations. When a problem occurs in a conversation, people can use compensatory strategies to get their message understood. These compensatory means can be verbal or non-verbal. There is only little research on children’s compensatory skills and how they act when a communicational problem occurs. Previous research has also been focused mainly in verbal communication. In order to gain an accurate understanding of a child’s linguistic performance, it is beneficial to gather individual information on how the child behaves in natural contexts. Especially the child’s parents are a valuable source of information in addition to a specialist’s assessment. The aim of this study was to examine the interactional skills of school-age children with specific language impairment and to describe what kind of compensatory strategies they use based on their parents’ observations. In addition, this study gathered information on parents’ experiences of the support the families have received. Methods. Twelve parents were interviewed in nine interviews for this study. The interviews were done in 2018. At the time, the children were aged between 6;2–10;0 years. This study used a semi-structured theme interview, and the data were analysed using a theory-driven content analysis. Results and conclusions. The parents reported that their children use several verbal and non-verbal compensational strategies. Pointing and the use of circumlocutions were the most reported strategies. It was also typical for the children that they relied on adult’s help to solve communicational breakdowns. The parents reported that they have found the best solutions and support methods for their family in daily living, but they also have received some advice from professionals. Family courses on SLI and peer support were reported as especially helpful and important support methods.