Report on Benchmark Wait Times for Pediatric Speech Sound Disorders

The Pan Canadian Alliance of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Organizations has developed wait times benchmarks for diagnostic groupings relevant to speech-language pathology and audiology. This report presents the outcome of this endeavor for the Speech Sound Disorder (SSD) diagnosis. The purpose of a wait time benchmark is to provide a credible evidence-based recommendation for a given service (in this case, speech-language pathology assessment and intervention for SSDs), and to clarify the risk factors associated with waiting past the time when the patient's health is likely to be adversely affected according to clinical consensus and the best available scientific evidence. SSDs are characterized by a high frequency of speech sound errors relative to the child's age peers, impacting the intelligibility of the child's speech. SSD often cooccurs with oral and written language impairments. When the SSD persists past the age of school entry, long-term difficulties in the social, emotional, academic and vocational domains can become significant concerns. Fortunately standard interventions have been shown to be effective when provided with sufficient intensity and duration. The Alliance's Wait Times Project reviewed this literature and recommended wait times for assessment and intervention with the most critical period for rapid service being the two year window prior to school entry. This report provides an example of a collaborative enterprise between academia and clinical practitioners that serves to benefit both consumers and providers of speech, language, and hearing services across the country. Adapted from the source document