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The paper (Van and Kubina, 2024; this issue) provides useful examples of the use of Precision Teaching (PT) in allied health professional practice. There is considerable scope to develop this further for various reasons and in various ways. Caregivers of children and adults with additional needs are invariably keen on the input of occupational therapists (OTs), physiotherapists (Physios) and speech and language therapists (SaLTs). However, much of their input is delivered in a way that is neither quantifiable nor enables caregivers and professionals to measure and compare progress to the performance of the skill(s) in question at baseline. Arguably, the involvement of the health professional, however fleeting or sporadic, becomes the point of focus, rather than any meaningful changes resulting from an occurrence of their involvement. Whilst the placebo effect of the presence of a professional is well known (Miller et al., 2009), those of us who are allied health professions (AHPs) would undoubtedly prefer any favourable outcomes in our service users to be the result of our clinical skills rather than merely our physical (or illusion of physical) presence.
Public sector health professional provision is becoming scarcer. For example, in speech and language therapy, there are currently vacancy rates of 25% in children’s services and 24% in adult services (Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, 2023). Clinicians are increasingly required to consider evidence-based practice and the use of measurement in their work. OTs, Physios and SaLTs are all AHPs regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council, which stipulates proficiency standards. For example, SaLTs are required to recognise the value of gathering and using data for quality assurance and improvement programmes (Health and Care Professions Council, 2024).
Within this context, the enormous challenges public sector AHPs face to manage a...