An Evaluation Of Coverage Of Autism Spectrum Disorders In Speech-Language Pathology Masters Programs

The incidence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in America has been demonstrated over the past decade to be consistently rising. With this rise, the number of speech-language pathologists (SLP) working with this population is also increasing. Previous research in this area has consistented of self-report data from practicing SLPs and has shown that SLPs are not confident working with, diagnosing, or treating individuals with ASD. This study took a step back to see how SLPs are trained in their graduate studies to work with these individuals by surveying 98 affiliates of ASHA-certified master’s programs in speech-language pathology (46 program directors and 21 clinical coordinators). Results from the study confirmed that many of the programs’ students are working with the ASD population following graduation. It also showed that program directors and clinical coordinators have a high confidence in their graduates’ preparation to work with individuals with ASD, despite a lack of training of overall ASD characteristics as well as relevant evidence-based interventions both in academic coursework and clinical exposure.<p></p>