MATERNAL GATEKEEPING IN FAMILIES OF CHILDREN WITH SPEECH SOUND DISORDER AND DEVELOPMENTAL LANGUAGE DISORDER

This study aimed to investigate mothers’maternal gatekeeping and fathers’perceptions of maternal gatekeeping this gatekeeping in families with children diagnosed with Speech-Sound Disorder (SSD) and Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). A descriptive survey model was utilizedused in our investigation. The study includeincludes 100 mothers and 100 fathers of children with SSD and DLD in Ankara, Turkey. Maternal Gatekeeping (MG) Scale: Mother and Father Form for Preschool Period (3-6 Years) and Primary School Period (7-11 Years)” was employed to gathercollect data. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to analyze differences between the groups. Families with children with SSD and DLD showed high average scores for mothers’ maternal gate-keeping and fathers’ perceptions of maternal gatekeeping. As the educational level of parents with of school-aged children increased, mothers’ gatekeeping behavior and fathers’ perceptions of maternal gatekeeping were significantly lowerdecreased significantly. According to parents, their involvement in helping with homework, as measured by the father form of the maternal gatekeeping scale, indicates that fathers with both preschool andpre-school-and school-aged children have a high perception ofperceive high levels of maternal gatekeeping. In the study, it was observed that maternal gatekeeping behaviors were affected in families with children diagnosed with DLD and SSD. It is necessary to increase the interaction with the fathers of children who are receiving language and speech therapy services and to include the fathers in the care and therapy process of the children. © 2026 The Author(s).