Speech and language therapists in Sri Lanka are trying to diagnose children with speech sound disorders using assessment tools that do not exist in Sinhala, the country’s main language. This matters because speech and language therapy only became a recognised profession in Sri Lanka in 2000, and there are still no validated Sinhala-language tools to measure how well a child can be understood or how their condition affects their daily life. Without these tools, therapists cannot reliably diagnose children or track whether treatment is working. The researcher has already translated one internationally recommended tool, the Intelligibility in Context Scale, into Sinhala, and will now publish findings on a second tool—the Oral Health Impact Scale—for adolescents with cleft lip and palate. If this work succeeds, therapists across Sri Lanka will gain practical, evidence-based resources to assess children with speech sound disorders. The researcher will run workshops for practicing therapists and students to ensure the tools are used in clinics. This could improve diagnosis and care for a condition that makes up a significant part of caseloads, and lay the groundwork for future research to extend the tools to younger children.
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This fellowship will allow me to expand on my PhD research and make important contributions to the field of speech and language therapy (SLT) in Sri Lanka. SLT is still a young profession in the country, having only been established in 2000. One of the biggest challenges faced by speech and language therapists (SLTs) in Sri Lanka is the lack of assessment tools in Sinhala, the primary language spoken by about 20 million people in Sri Lanka. Without these tools, it is difficult to accurately diagnose and treat children with communication difficulties. Additionally, there is limited research available to guide evidence-based practice in the Sri Lankan context. My fellowship focuses on improving support for children with speech sound disorders, one of the most common communication problems in young children. I aim to address key gaps in research and clinical practice through three main objectives: Publishing New Research I will publish two academic articles based on my PhD findings: · The translation and validation of the Oral Health Impact Scale into Sinhala for adolescents with cleft lip and palate. · A study on speech intelligibility and quality of life for adolescents with repaired cleft lip and palate in Sri Lanka. These publications will add to the growing evidence base in SLT and help improve clinical practices both nationally and internationally. I have already published part of my PhD, which involved translating and validating another important tool, the Intelligibility in Context Scale (ICS), into Sinhala. Engaging with Practitioners I will deliver 8 workshops: 6 for practicing SLTs (around 400), 2 for SLT students (around 200 across 4 years of the BSc Speech and Language Therapy undergraduate degree programme) and SLT educators in Sri Lanka to introduce the newly translated assessment tools. These workshops will ensure that therapists can use the tools in their daily practice to better diagnose and treat children with speech sound disorders. I also aim to build international partnerships and foster collaboration between Sri Lankan institutions and UK SLT communities. Developing Future Research Building on this work, I will apply for future research funding (e.g., ESRC New Investigator Grant Scheme) to validate the ICS-Sinhala for use with younger children (ages 3-12) who have speech sound disorders, including those with cleft lip and palate. The ICS is a WHO-recommended tool widely used around the world (McLeod, 2020), but it has not yet been fully validated for younger children in Sri Lanka. This work will help bridge that gap and improve the diagnosis and care of children with speech sound disorders - a condition affecting 12 in every 100 children and making up a significant part of SLTs' caseloads. Through this fellowship, I aim to improve the quality of care for children with communication difficulties in Sri Lanka while strengthening research and clinical resources for the future.
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