A parent–child therapy program for Turkish children with speech sound disorders

What is it about?

peech sound disorders are common in young children and can make it difficult for them to speak clearly and be understood by others. These difficulties can affect children’s confidence, social relationships, and early learning experiences. Although speech therapy can help, therapy sessions are often limited to once a week, which may not provide enough practice for children to improve their speech skills. This study focuses on the role of parent involvement in intervention for children with speech sound disorders. We adapted the Parents and Children Together (PACT) intervention program into Turkish and examined its effectiveness with Turkish-speaking children aged 5 to 6 years who had moderate to severe speech sound disorders. In the intervention program, children attended speech therapy sessions once a week. After these sessions, parents actively supported their children’s speech practice during everyday activities at home, helping them use therapy goals in daily communication. The results showed that children who participated in the program made improvements in speech sound accuracy, phonological skills, and phonological awareness. These improvements continued after the intervention ended. The findings suggest that combining weekly therapy with active parent involvement can strengthen therapy outcomes and support children’s communication in everyday life.

Why is it important?

Speech sound disorders are common in young children, but in many clinical settings, therapy is limited to short sessions once a week. At the same time, children with speech sound disorders often have a wide range of needs, including difficulties with speech production, sound awareness, and listening skills, which cannot always be addressed through a single therapy approach. This study is important because it highlights the value of an integrated, eclectic intervention approach combined with active parent involvement. The Parents and Children Together (PACT) program brings together speech production practice, phonological awareness activities, listening skills, and meaningful speech use within everyday communication. By adapting this approach into Turkish, the study shows how multiple intervention components can be combined in a structured and practical way. The findings provide evidence that weekly therapy can be made more effective when parents continue supporting their children’s speech practice at home after therapy sessions. When weekly intervention is supported by both an integrated intervention framework and active parent involvement, children can make meaningful improvements in speech sound accuracy and everyday communication skills.