Parents’ Perceptions Regarding Needs and Readiness for Tele-Practice Implementation Within a Public Health System for the Identification and Rehabilitation of Children with Hearing and Speech–Language Disorders in South India
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Selection of Study Site
2.2. Study Design
2.3. Study Participants
Parents of Children Under Six Years of Age
2.4. Data Collection Tools
2.4.1. Qualitative Study—Guidelines
2.4.2. For Quantitative Study—Survey Questionnaire
2.5. Data Collection
2.5.1. Qualitative Study
2.5.2. For Quantitative Study
2.6. Data Analysis
2.6.1. For Qualitative Study
2.6.2. Quantitative Study
3. Results
3.1. Participant Description
Parents of Children (with CwDs and CwnkDs)
3.2. Perceptions of Parents of CwDs and Parents of CwnkDs Regarding Their Need for Audiology and Speech–Language Pathology Services and Their Readiness to Accept and Adopt Tele-Practice-Based Services
3.2.1. Need for Tele-Practice
“There are no testing facilities in the public sector in Ariyalur. We have to go to Thanjavur Trichy, Pondicherry”(Mothers of CwDs, FGDs).
“Special educators provide speech therapy and not speech therapists”(Fathers of CwDs, FGDs).
“If the facilities are provided nearby home, then it’s better”(Mothers of CwDs, FGDs).
“As there is a greater number of children in need of service, the bigger organization should help them out. The help needed are specialists. Currently having financial issues as a daily wage laborer”(Fathers of CwDs, FGDs).
3.2.2. Readiness to Accept and Adopt Tele-Practice Services
“At first, you can do it (speech therapy) in person and later you can do it through a laptop. Which makes the people trust you”(Fathers of CwDs, SSIs).
“In Perambalur, most of them have smart phones for the purpose of studying (for children). Few of them have button phones (old model)(Mothers of CwDs, FGDs).
“Nurses (Village health nurse) can be trained to do screening”(Mothers of CwDs, FGDs).
“Anganwadi teachers can be trained for screening to reach all the children in the block”(Fathers of CwDs, SSIs).
“Village-wise service should be provided. With the help of a vehicle (mobile therapy unit). If the van is placed nearby then it will be beneficial as it’s difficult to carry the child to far places”(Fathers of CwDs, SSIs).
“Services can be provided in school so everyone will come. GH, PHC and Panchayat are the common places for everyone to come”(Fathers of CwDs, SSIs).
“Good awareness should be provided for the person with disability about the quality of service. Specialists should be available for differently abled people. If the service is provided then it will be helpful”(Fathers of CwDs, SSIs).
“Services can be conducted in the school block-wise”(Mothers of CwDs, FGDs).
4. Discussion
4.1. Need for Diagnostic and Rehabilitation Services for Hearing, Speech and Language Disorders
4.2. Readiness to Accept and Adopt Tele-Practice-Based Diagnostic and Rehabilitation Services for Hearing, Speech and Language Disorders
5. Conclusions
Study Outcomes
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
FGD | Focus Group Discussion |
SSI | Semi-Structured Interview |
CwDs | Children with Disabilities |
CwnkDs | Children with no known Disabilities |
LMICs | Low- and Middle-Income Countries |
EDC | Early Diagnostic Centre |
GH | General Hospital |
DDAW | District Differently Abled Welfare |
EIC | Early Intervention Centre |
ASLP | Audiologist and Speech–Language Pathologist |
SSA | Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan |
VHN | Village Health Nurse |
DEIC | District Early Intervention Centre |
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Categories | Themes |
---|---|
Category 1: Availability | Parents of CwDs—demand or need |
Category 2: Barriers and challenges in seeking health care | |
Category 3: Satisfaction with quality of health care | |
Category 4: Suggestions to improve quality of health care | |
Category 5: Perceptions on use of technology or mobile phones | Parents of CwDs—acceptability and integration of tele-practice services |
Category 6: Rehabilitation—acceptance of new services | |
Category 7: Screening—acceptance of new services |
FGDs:7 (n = 53 Participants) and SSIs: 8 (n = 8 Participants) | ||
---|---|---|
Stakeholders | No. of FGDs/SSIs | No. of Participants (Distribution in Each Group) |
Mothers of CwDs | 4 FGDs | 33 participants (14, 6, 7, 6 in each group) |
Fathers of CwDs | 3 FGDs | 20 (8,6,6 in each group) |
Fathers of CwDs | 8 SSIs | 8 participants (one to one interview) |
Parent of CwnkDs | 1722 1242—mothers and 480—fathers (1015 from Ariyalur district and 707 from Perambalur district) |
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Jesudass, N.; Ramkumar, V.; Kumar, S.; Venkatesh, L. Parents’ Perceptions Regarding Needs and Readiness for Tele-Practice Implementation Within a Public Health System for the Identification and Rehabilitation of Children with Hearing and Speech–Language Disorders in South India. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22, 943. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22060943
Jesudass N, Ramkumar V, Kumar S, Venkatesh L. Parents’ Perceptions Regarding Needs and Readiness for Tele-Practice Implementation Within a Public Health System for the Identification and Rehabilitation of Children with Hearing and Speech–Language Disorders in South India. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2025; 22(6):943. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22060943
Chicago/Turabian StyleJesudass, Neethi, Vidya Ramkumar, Shuba Kumar, and Lakshmi Venkatesh. 2025. "Parents’ Perceptions Regarding Needs and Readiness for Tele-Practice Implementation Within a Public Health System for the Identification and Rehabilitation of Children with Hearing and Speech–Language Disorders in South India" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 22, no. 6: 943. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22060943
APA StyleJesudass, N., Ramkumar, V., Kumar, S., & Venkatesh, L. (2025). Parents’ Perceptions Regarding Needs and Readiness for Tele-Practice Implementation Within a Public Health System for the Identification and Rehabilitation of Children with Hearing and Speech–Language Disorders in South India. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(6), 943. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22060943