For speech-language pathologists

How can SLPs get more home practice from families?

Published 21 October 2026 · Updated 21 October 2026

The short answer

Most SLPs already involve parents, usually through home practice, but studies rarely describe exactly what that involvement looks like, and high-quality trials isolating parent delivery are scarce. The evidence that exists is encouraging: trained parents have delivered practice with good fidelity, and home programmes appear to work better than no intervention when dosage is high and parents are trained directly.

What practice looks like now

In a survey of 288 Australian SLPs, 96.4% reported involving parents, most often through home practice. On average they recommended practice 5 times a week for 10 minutes, and 95.8% agreed that family involvement is essential (Sugden et al., 2018).
Of 176 papers on phonological intervention published 1979–2013, 61 involved parents or home tasks, but most gave limited detail about what that involvement was (Sugden et al., 2016).

“5 times a week for 10 minutes” describes common recommendations, not an evidence-based dose.

What the evidence says

A systematic review found preliminary evidence that parent-implemented home programmes are more effective than no intervention, when dosage is high and parents are trained directly (Tosh, Arnott & Scarinci, 2017).
In a multiple-baseline study, parents delivered multiple oppositions practice twice a week alongside one clinic session a week for 8 weeks. All five children improved on treated words, and parents delivered the intervention with good fidelity (Sugden et al., 2020).
In a randomized trial with 65 four-year-olds receiving individual therapy plus a home programme, outcomes were best when parents were taught home procedures that matched the direct therapy (Rvachew & Brosseau-Lapré, 2015).
In small clinic-based experiments, children treated by trained parents made significant gains, though smaller than children treated by therapists; untreated children didn’t change (Lancaster et al., 2010).

We found no large RCT isolating the effect of parent delivery for speech sound disorders, so “preliminary” is the honest word.

What helps families

A 2025 realist review of 43 papers on digital tools that support parents to deliver intensive home practice grouped what works into five areas: the child’s participation, the child–parent–SLP relationship, parent training, partnership, and intervention intensity (Leafe et al., 2025).

Train parents on the specific task, and match home practice to what you’re doing in sessions.
Agree a realistic schedule and a simple way to record it. The free weekly practice log is one option.
Review the record at the start of each session, so home practice is visibly part of therapy.

Questions SLPs ask

How much home practice should I recommend?

There’s no evidence-based home dose. In one survey, Australian SLPs recommended on average 5 times a week for 10 minutes; treat that as common practice, not a standard.

Can parents deliver speech sound intervention?

With training, parents have delivered intervention with good fidelity in small studies, and children improved. Direct comparisons are limited; in one small study, parent-treated children gained less than therapist-treated children.

How do I know whether practice happened?

Ask families to keep a short record of what they practised and how it went, and review it together. Self-report has limits, but it makes practice visible.