A Survey of the Practices of Social Workers Working with Children with Adverse Childhood Experiences and Speech, Language, and Communication Needs

• Format: Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: Conway; Dietz; Newfoundland
• Online Access: https://eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/handle/20.500.12289/11401; https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12289/11401

There is evidence to suggest that children who have Adverse Childhood Experiences are at increased risk of having Speech, Language, and Communication Needs, physical health problems, and mental health issues compared to their non-maltreated peers (Law and Conway 1992; Felitti et al. 1998; Trocme et al. 2010; Lum et al. 2015; Sylvestre et al. 2016). Building resilience in children is essential for supporting children's health. Resilience develops through healthy relationships with adults, including parents, teachers, Speech Language Pathologists, and Social Worker (Schore 2003; Ellis and Dietz 2017). Once Social Workers identify children with Adverse Childhood Experiences, they can refer to Speech Language Pathology services. Speech Language Pathologists can provide early intervention for children with Adverse Childhood Experiences and Speech, Language, and Communication Needs to support their speech, language, and communication development. This may benefit other areas of development- cognitive, emotional, and physical as well (Fox and Rutter 2010; Guralnick 2011). This research study explored Social Worker's perspectives and knowledge of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Speech, Language, and Communication Needs in children, referral practices, multidisciplinary teams, and collaborative practices in Newfoundland and Labrador. An online survey was sent to a population of SWs in NL who have experience working with children. Quantitative and Qualitative data was collected and presented in Tables and Figures. Qualitative data were assigned codes and grouped into main themes. The data collected was linked to the research aims of the study. 57 Social Workers living in NL responded to the online survey. Results indicated that the Social Workers’ knowledge base of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Speech, Language, and Communication Needs is high. Respondents understand the impact that Adverse Childhood Experiences can have on a child's speech, language, and communication development. Respondents reported that ...