The Establishment of a Dominant Interpretive Framework in Language Intervention

One aspect of therapeutic discourse that has not been fully investigated in language intervention is the way that interactional dominance is established and maintained within the therapeutic encounter. Using various data collection strategies, therapeutic discourse from 10 language intervention sessions was collected and analyzed. By employing an analytic device known as the "dominant interpretive framework," the interactional styles and strategies of two speech-language pathologists were investigated. Data revealed several systematic patterns of interaction that constrained the ranges of interaction between the clinician and the client. Several implications regarding client empowerment, mediation, and assimilation into the school culture are discussed.