PURPOSE: to determine the clarification of the persons in charge for the children in speech language pathology attendance, to check the self-judgment of the person in charge for the decision on the type of treatment and the interference of the persons in charge scholar level on knowledge as for the therapy of their children. METHODS: a questionnaire was carried out under interview form with a pattern of 33 trainee and 33 persons in charge for children between 2 and 12-year-old, under treatment in the Clinic of Speech Language Pathologist of The Federal University of Minas Gerais. For analyzing the data we used Chi-Square test and Pearson test, through the program: Minitab 13. RESULTS: in 95% of the cases, the guardians considered participating in the decision-making regarding treatment; however, when questioned as for what treatment was being performed, only 39.4% answered correctly. The majority of the persons in charge (95%) related having participated in the child's treatment decision, however just 39,4% answered correctly on the treatment. The percentage of correct answers was more elevated for the individuals with complete high-school degree (60%), than individuals with incomplete elementary degree (30%), however its was not a significant statistic value (p=0.36). CONCLUSIONS: the major portion of the persons in charge do not have participation in decisions concerning the treatment carried out in their children, once that they related passive attitudes in front of this decision process and do not show knowledge on the treatment carried out with their children. The knowledge tends to be better for individuals with higher scholar level.
Bioethics; Informed Consent; Professional Autonomy
