Responding to uncertainty in the context of clinical pragmatics and speech and language therapy practice : a grounded theory study

Abstract

Clinical pragmatics is a relatively young and evolving area. Clinical pragmatics involves the application of theory and constructs from the broad area of pragmatics to intervention and research in the area of communication health and disorder. While it has been suggested that the area of clinical pragmatics is marred by disparity and confusion (e.g., Cummings 2007a, 2010b, Perkins 2005b), there is little published evidence of attempts to specifically explore the concerns of the Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) community in this area. The purpose of this study was to develop insight into the concerns of members of the SLT community, with regard to clinical pragmatics and SLT practice, and to explore how these concerns were being managed.