Educational Outcomes of Speech Therapy Interventions for Children withSpeech Delay: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Speech delay in children may hinder communication development, classroom participation, early literacy readiness, and social interaction, making effective educational intervention essential for supporting learning. This systematic review aimed to synthesize the effectiveness of educationally oriented speech and language interventions in improving children’s communication abilities and related learning outcomes. The review followed the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Searches were conducted in Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed/MEDLINE, and ScienceDirect for studies published between 2021 and June 2026. Studies involving children with speech delay or speech and language disorders who received speech and language interventions with educationally relevant outcomes were included. Five primary studies involving 320 children met the eligibility criteria, comprising three randomized controlled trials and two non-randomized studies. Risk of bias was assessed using RoB 2 and ROBINS-I, while certainty of evidence was evaluated using GRADE. Owing to substantial heterogeneity in participants, interventions, outcome measures, and follow-up periods, a narrative synthesis was conducted. Overall, the evidence indicates that educationally oriented speech and language interventions improve articulation accuracy, speech intelligibility, phonological skills, and functional communication, with family-supported interventions showing additional benefits in reinforcing targeted communication skills. However, evidence for the transfer of these gains to broader communication, sustained classroom participation, and long-term outcomes remains limited. These findings suggest that interventions tailored to children’s communication needs can support communication development and educational participation, particularly by enhancing classroom engagement and early literacy readiness.