CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE CHILD’S HEALTH NOTEBOOK AS INSTRUMENT OF PHONOAUDIOLOGICAL EDUCATION.

Abstract

This study aimed at investigation the knowledge of Children´s Health Notebook among phonoaudiologists. Based on the thematic research of content, a qualitative analysis was developed. Ten speech therapists specialized in child care participated in the survey. They meet at the Association of Parents and Friends of Exceptional Children and at the Municipal Integrated Center for Special Education of the Brazilian National Health System. The data collection involved the use of a semi structured interview, addressing issues that could support the review of the Notebook as a tool for health promotion and education and its importance to the area in question. The results showed that the speech therapists level of knowledge about the Notebook was unsatisfactory. The suggestions recommended by those professionals, such as breast-feeding, food and utensils transition, oral habits, language stimulation, detection of hearing loss and oral breathing, demonstrate the importance of educational interventions related to the human communication health. Results have also shown the need for introducing the speech contnt in the Notebook, so that it can fulfill its guiding role in this field.