{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,29]],"date-time":"2026-07-29T12:43:38Z","timestamp":1785329018524,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":54,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,10,13]],"date-time":"2020-10-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1602547200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Intl J Lang &amp; Comm Disor"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2020,11]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Due to dementia\u2010related communication difficulties, speech\u2013language pathologists (SLPs) play a significant role in supporting individuals with dementia and their caregivers. Nevertheless, SLP practitioners may not have received adequate dementia training during their undergraduate programme and skills updating post\u2010qualification. Investigating the knowledge, attitudes and training needs of SLP students and practitioners would provide evidence on the need of enhancing training in dementia care and management at both the undergraduate level and through continuous professional development programmes.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Aims<\/jats:title><jats:p>To assess the levels of dementia knowledge, attitudes and training needs of SLP students and practitioners.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods &amp; Procedures<\/jats:title><jats:p>A countrywide survey was conducted with undergraduate students reading for a BSc degree in communication therapy and SLPs currently in practice. Dementia knowledge and attitudes were assessed using the Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS) and the Dementia Attitude Scale (DAS). Training needs were measured using a three\u2010point Likert scale from a list of topics related to dementia management and care. Quantitative methods were used to analyse the collected data.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Outcomes &amp; Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>A total of 49 SLP students (94.2% response rate) and 113 practitioners (57.4% response rate) completed the survey. Although SLP practitioners scored significantly better than students on the ADKS and its constructs, both cohorts showed inadequate knowledge of dementia, in particular dementia risk factors. In general, both SLP students and practitioners showed positive attitudes towards individuals with dementia, even though significant differences were observed. With respect to training needs, SLP practitioners significantly scored less compared with students denoting that, in this cohort, there was the belief that less training in dementia was required.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions &amp; Implications<\/jats:title><jats:p>Although SLPs have an important role to play in the management and care of individuals with dementia, the findings of this study indicated a shortage of in\u2010depth knowledge in this area of practice. This continues to highlight the need of enhancing dementia training programmes through undergraduate curriculum development and continuous professional programmes for skills updating.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:label\/><jats:p><jats:boxed-text content-type=\"box\" position=\"anchor\"><jats:sec><jats:title>What this paper adds<\/jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>What is already known on the subject<\/jats:title><jats:p><jats:list list-type=\"bullet\">\n<jats:list-item><jats:p>One of the symptoms of dementia is that affected individuals progressively lose the ability to communicate effectively. With an increase in the number of people with dementia due to global ageing growth, SLPs are more likely to come into contact with such individuals and their caregivers. At present, there is little research on the levels of dementia knowledge, attitudes and training needs among individuals pursuing their career in this profession.<\/jats:p><\/jats:list-item>\n<\/jats:list><\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>What this paper adds to existing knowledge<\/jats:title><jats:p><jats:list list-type=\"bullet\">\n<jats:list-item><jats:p>This study highlights a dearth of in\u2010depth knowledge among undergraduate students and practising SLPs in various aspects of dementia management and care and argues on the need of enhancing training in this field of study.<\/jats:p><\/jats:list-item>\n<\/jats:list><\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?<\/jats:title><jats:p><jats:list list-type=\"bullet\">\n<jats:list-item><jats:p>Improving SLPs\u2019 knowledge on dementia can enhance their professional role in several areas, including the provision of information on risk factors, disease progression and its effect on communication abilities, screening of cognitive communication difficulties and developing management plans aimed at maintaining communication abilities at the highest level.<\/jats:p><\/jats:list-item>\n<\/jats:list><\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><\/jats:sec><\/jats:boxed-text><\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1111\/1460-6984.12574","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,10,14]],"date-time":"2020-10-14T03:14:03Z","timestamp":1602645243000},"page":"955-970","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":17,"title":["Dementia knowledge, attitudes and training needs of speech\u2013language pathology students and practitioners: A countrywide study"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"55","author":[{"given":"Nicola","family":"Saccasan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Gerontology and Dementia Studies Faculty of Social Wellbeing University of Malta  Msida Malta"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3319-5273","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Charles","family":"Scerri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pathology Faculty of Medicine and Surgery University of Malta  Msida Malta"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,10,13]]},"reference":[{"issue":"4","key":"e_1_2_7_2_1","first-page":"CD011882","article-title":"Simulated presence therapy for dementia","volume":"4","author":"Abraha I.","year":"2017","journal-title":"The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3399\/bjgp10X515386"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.archger.2012.04.011"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_5_1","volume-title":"Prepared to Care: Challenging the Dementia Skills Gap","author":"All\u2010Party Parliamentary Group On Dementia","year":"2009"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/jgs.12924"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_7_1","unstructured":"American Speech\u2013Language\u2013Hearing Association 2016 Scope of Practice in Speech\u2013Language Pathology. 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