Abstract
The purpose of this study is to survey Speech-Language Pathologists' perception on evaluation and treatment of "swallowing disorders". An online questionnaire was sent to the 279 subjects attending undergraduate/graduate programs in speech therapy department and/or SLPs who work in various settings. The survey consisted of three parts: 1) background information and educational/clinical experiences that are associated with dysphagia (swallowing disorder), 2) the current state of diagnosis and treatment of dysphagia of clinical practice (certified SLPs only), 3) the recognition of diagnosis, treatment, education for dysphagia. Each item of the survey was scaled by the participants on a five-point Likert scale of 1 to 5 (1 being not at all and 5 being extremely) or self-reported answers. The results of the survey showed that SLPs have high interest in "swallowing disorder", but most of them regarded them very difficult to diagnose and treat. The reason is that they have not been trained as a swallowing specialist. Therefore it is necessary to provide more opportunities for education and practice to establish the expertise of SLPs.
