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Defining Communicative Participation for Children and Young People: Views of Young People, Parents, and Speech and Language Therapists

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Title: Defining Communicative Participation for Children and Young People: Views of Young People, Parents, and Speech and Language Therapists
Language: English
Authors: Sarah Spencer, Kulwinder Bola, Louisa Reeves, Wendy Best, Helen Stringer, Lindsay Pennington
Source: International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders. 2026 61(3).
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 14
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Communication Skills, Communication Strategies, Children, Youth, Speech Impairments, Speech Language Pathology, Interpersonal Communication, Definitions, Communication Disorders, Participation, Interaction, Intervention
DOI: 10.1111/1460-6984.70266
ISSN: 1368-2822
1460-6984
Abstract: Background: Communicating effectively in everyday life is a key outcome for children with speech, language and communication difficulties. However, we lack a clear way to describe children's everyday communication functioning--their communicative participation. Communicative participation is defined for adults, as 'taking part in life situations where knowledge, information, ideas, or feelings are exchanged', and included how communicative participation is achieved, with whom and for what purposes. Aim: This study aimed to consider communicative participation for children and young people, by using an existing definition regarding adults' communicative participation to elicit meaning from children and young people with speech, language and communication needs, and that of their parents and clinicians. Methods and Procedures: Three focus groups with young people with speech, language, and communication needs (n = 6, ages 14-16 year old), parent carers (n = 5), and speech and language therapists (n = 19) and two semi-structured interviews, one with a parent of a young child with complex communication needs and one with a parent and their daughter with developmental language disorder, were conducted online, audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Participants were shown an existing definition of communicative participation (originally intended to be applied to adults) and discussed the appropriateness of each section of the definition for children and young people. Transcripts were analysed following the Framework Analysis Approach. Results: Participants broadly agreed with the existing definition but highlighted the changing nature of communicative participation throughout childhood. They thought that a definition of communicative participation should include interaction for joy, where closeness rather than meaning is shared, and reference to play and education as key communicative participation situations. Participants highlighted the importance of skilled partners in meaning making for children with developmental communication difficulties, and the fundamental role of technology in communicative participation. They also discussed the impacts of successful communicative participation on children's social and emotional development, seeing communicative participation as a driver to protect mental health and wellbeing, build independence, develop trusting relationships and stay safe. Conclusions and Implications: Communicative participation develops across childhood and differs to that in adulthood in some important respects. The broad boundaries of the construct provided in this study can inform further development of the construct with potential impact for developing assessments and interventions related to communicative participation for children.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1506998
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Defining Communicative Participation for Children and Young People: Views of Young People, Parents, and Speech and Language Therapists
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sarah+Spencer%22">Sarah Spencer</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kulwinder+Bola%22">Kulwinder Bola</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Louisa+Reeves%22">Louisa Reeves</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Wendy+Best%22">Wendy Best</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Helen+Stringer%22">Helen Stringer</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Lindsay+Pennington%22">Lindsay Pennington</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22International+Journal+of+Language+%26+Communication+Disorders%22"><i>International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders</i></searchLink>. 2026 61(3).
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  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
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  Data: 14
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  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Communication+Skills%22">Communication Skills</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Communication+Strategies%22">Communication Strategies</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Children%22">Children</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Youth%22">Youth</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Speech+Impairments%22">Speech Impairments</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Speech+Language+Pathology%22">Speech Language Pathology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Interpersonal+Communication%22">Interpersonal Communication</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Definitions%22">Definitions</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Communication+Disorders%22">Communication Disorders</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Participation%22">Participation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Interaction%22">Interaction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Intervention%22">Intervention</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1111/1460-6984.70266
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  Data: 1368-2822<br />1460-6984
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Background: Communicating effectively in everyday life is a key outcome for children with speech, language and communication difficulties. However, we lack a clear way to describe children's everyday communication functioning--their communicative participation. Communicative participation is defined for adults, as 'taking part in life situations where knowledge, information, ideas, or feelings are exchanged', and included how communicative participation is achieved, with whom and for what purposes. Aim: This study aimed to consider communicative participation for children and young people, by using an existing definition regarding adults' communicative participation to elicit meaning from children and young people with speech, language and communication needs, and that of their parents and clinicians. Methods and Procedures: Three focus groups with young people with speech, language, and communication needs (n = 6, ages 14-16 year old), parent carers (n = 5), and speech and language therapists (n = 19) and two semi-structured interviews, one with a parent of a young child with complex communication needs and one with a parent and their daughter with developmental language disorder, were conducted online, audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Participants were shown an existing definition of communicative participation (originally intended to be applied to adults) and discussed the appropriateness of each section of the definition for children and young people. Transcripts were analysed following the Framework Analysis Approach. Results: Participants broadly agreed with the existing definition but highlighted the changing nature of communicative participation throughout childhood. They thought that a definition of communicative participation should include interaction for joy, where closeness rather than meaning is shared, and reference to play and education as key communicative participation situations. Participants highlighted the importance of skilled partners in meaning making for children with developmental communication difficulties, and the fundamental role of technology in communicative participation. They also discussed the impacts of successful communicative participation on children's social and emotional development, seeing communicative participation as a driver to protect mental health and wellbeing, build independence, develop trusting relationships and stay safe. Conclusions and Implications: Communicative participation develops across childhood and differs to that in adulthood in some important respects. The broad boundaries of the construct provided in this study can inform further development of the construct with potential impact for developing assessments and interventions related to communicative participation for children.
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      – Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Communication Strategies
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      – SubjectFull: Children
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      – SubjectFull: Youth
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      – SubjectFull: Speech Impairments
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