The Speech and Language Pathologist in the Interdisciplinary Team of Birth Support Classes (BSCs)
Paola Biocca, Nicole Niccolini, Andrea Faragalli, Marta Rosati, Silvia Fidani, Federica Lucia Galli, Pasquapina Ciarmela
The development of communication, language, and orofacial-swallowing aspects in children is influenced by the socio-economic and cultural level of the family. Birth Support Classes (BSCs) represent a valuable opportunity for promoting the child’s psychophysical development and for implementing prevention strategies by acting on various epigenetic factors. The literature highlights limited involvement of speech and language pathologists (SLPs) in BSCs. The exploratory study investigated the possible inclusion of the speech and language pathologist in 4 BSC programmes, both public and private, in the provinces of Ascoli Piceno and Fermo. The data obtained, collected from a sample of 43 mothers, indicate that a SLP can be part of the interdisciplinary team, contributing to raising parents’ awareness about communication and language aspects and oro-facial-swallowing functions, carrying out preventive actions.
Keywords
Birth Support Classes, Speech therapy, Interdisciplinary approach, Prevention, Early childhood development.
