Australian speech-language pathologists’ perspectives on service delivery to children with complex communication needs in culturally and linguistically diverse communities

Purpose Speech-language pathologists have important opportunities to deliver culturally and linguistically appropriate services for children with complex communication needs. International research has explored services in relation to available augmentative and alternative communication systems and collaboration with families, yet little is known about Australian speech-language pathologists’ practices. The present study explores how Australian speech-language pathologists carry out their work with children with complex communication needs in multilingual families.Method Twenty-three (n = 23) Australian speech-language pathologists participated in semi-structured interviews about their experiences working with children who have complex communication needs in multilingual families. Transcribed interview data were analysed with a thematic analysis approach.Result One of the four main themes is explored in this paper, specifically how speech-language pathologists work to address challenges in providing interventions. Participants described how they work to: (a) Align their own and family expectations, (b) find shared and relevant ways to communicate with families, and (c) tailor resources to child and community needs.Conclusion Findings raise similar challenges to international studies in this area, including the complexity of creating multilingual augmentative and alternative communication systems or adapting existing systems. Participants’ experiences demonstrate both positive achievements or gains towards meeting families’ needs and identify challenges faced.