SLP MCI survey (Lanzi et al., 2022)

<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>As the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) continues to rise, there is a need for interventions that focus on risk reduction and early disease management. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) can contribute to risk reduction efforts and deliver cognitive interventions; however, the nature and frequency of current clinical practice in those areas is unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to conduct an exploratory survey of the cognitive-communication practices and needs of SLPs for adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early-stage dementia from AD, to inform future research and clinical training efforts. </p> <p><strong>Method: </strong>SLPs completed an online survey that assessed five areas of practice specific to cognitive-communication and MCI and early-stage dementia: (a) education and training, (b) MCI subtype knowledge and consideration, (c) goals and treatment practices, (d) assessment of everyday living skills, and (e) general clinical practices and needs.</p> <p><strong>Results:</strong> One hundred fifty-seven SLPs completed the survey and represented a range of practice experience. Results revealed a discrepancy between the number of SLPs who provide services to adults with MCI or early-stage dementia and those who have received formal training to do so, suggesting a reliance on clinical practice experience. Participants primarily reported using interview and informal methods to assess daily activities and often described using compensatory-based treatments.</p> <p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings contribute to the limited knowledge about SLPs’ cognitive-communication practices to help improve early-disease management for AD, a rapidly growing population in need of SLPs’ services. More research is needed to support SLPs in being maximally effective when working with clients early in the AD continuum.</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Supplemental Material S1.</strong> Survey Codebook.</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Supplemental Material S2.</strong> Cognitive-communication formal training.</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Supplemental Material S3.</strong> Mild cognitive impairment or early-stage dementia formal training.</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Supplemental Material S4. </strong>Assessment practices for everyday living skills.</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Supplemental Material S5. </strong>Goals for MCI or early-stage dementia from AD.</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Supplemental Material S6. </strong>Treatments for MCI or early-stage dementia from AD.</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Supplemental Material S7. </strong>General clinical needs.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Lanzim A. M., Saylor, A. K., & Cohen, M. L. (2022). Survey results of speech-language pathologists working with cognitive-communication disorders: Improving practices for mild cognitive impairment and early-stage dementia from Alzheimer’s disease. <em>American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology.</em> Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_AJSLP-21-00266</p>