Background: Rollout of Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has shifted disability service provision towards a marketised structure, where families are seen to gain increased choice and control over how allocated funding is spent on products and services. Australian paediatric speech-language pathologists (SLPs) provide speech and/or language intervention funded by this scheme. The aim of this study was to explore how paediatric SLPs seek to involve parents in speech and/or language intervention funded by the NDIS.

Method: Targeted participants for this study were paediatric SLPs currently practicing in Australia who conduct NDIS-funded speech and/or language intervention. Seventy-two participants completed a survey comprising demographic information, Likert scale statements on a range of practices of parental involvement, and questions regarding their practices of parental involvement with parents of the three most recently seen children whom have access to NDIS funding. Participants were also asked to report their perceived barriers and facilitators regarding parental involvement. Results from the survey were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis.

Results: The majority of speech-language pathologist indicated a strong commitment to involving parents within speech and language intervention. Three overarching themes of practices facilitating parental involvement were generated from qualitative data: enabling communication and correspondence with parents, utilising service delivery practices to facilitate parental attendance and involvement, and facilitating parents’ implementation of home activities. Barriers were found to arise from speech language pathologist, parent, and workplace setting characteristics. Facilitators were reported to arise from communication and rapport building, utilising a family-friendly model of service delivery, and parent behaviour and characteristics.

Conclusion: Responses indicated that this self-selected sample of Australian SLPs believe they utilise various service delivery practices to facilitate parental involvement within NDIS-funded paediatric speech and language intervention. More research is needed to better understand how marketised disability funding structures such as the NDIS influences SLPs’ implementation of family-friendly service delivery models when compared to traditional government block funding programs for disability.