Paily Juhy, Sutherland Dean, Ormond Tika
University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Int J Speech Lang Pathol. 2025 Aug;27(4):465-473. doi: 10.1080/17549507.2024.2371854. Epub 2024 Aug 16.
This survey-based study explored public awareness of the speech-language pathology profession in Aotearoa New Zealand. The study also aimed to understand participants' knowledge and experiences of individuals with speech, language, and communication impairments.
An online survey was designed and distributed via the Qualtrics survey platform. The survey included three sections, which focused on participant demographics, awareness about speech-language pathology, and knowledge and experiences of communication impairments.
The responses from 800 fully completed surveys were analysed. A majority of participants indicated that they had never heard or read anything about speech-language pathology and had never met a speech-language pathologist. The participants' responses reflected low or moderate levels of understanding about the roles of speech-language pathologists and their scope of practice.
Findings indicated low levels of awareness among the general public about speech-language pathology and individuals with communication impairments. These findings were consistent with similar international research conducted over the past 4 decades. Further research is needed to support the development of initiatives designed to increase awareness of the speech-language pathology profession and the needs of individuals with communication impairments.
这项基于调查的研究探讨了新西兰奥特亚罗瓦地区公众对言语语言病理学专业的认知。该研究还旨在了解参与者对有言语、语言和沟通障碍者的了解及相关经历。
设计了一项在线调查，并通过Qualtrics调查平台进行分发。该调查包括三个部分，重点关注参与者的人口统计学信息、对言语语言病理学的认知，以及对沟通障碍的了解和经历。
对800份完整填写的调查问卷的回复进行了分析。大多数参与者表示他们从未听说或读到过任何有关言语语言病理学的内容，也从未见过言语语言病理学家。参与者的回答反映出他们对言语语言病理学家的角色及其执业范围的理解处于低水平或中等水平。
研究结果表明，普通公众对言语语言病理学和有沟通障碍者的认知水平较低。这些结果与过去40年进行的类似国际研究一致。需要进一步开展研究，以支持旨在提高对言语语言病理学专业的认知以及对有沟通障碍者需求的认识的倡议的发展。
