Abstract
BackgroundThe goals of this study were (1) to determine early intervention (EI) Speech-Language Pathologists’ (SLPs) level of training and knowledge on environmental toxicants and their effect on infant and child development; and (2) to examine the effectiveness of a continuing education (CE) event designed to enhance the knowledge of EI SLPs on environmental toxicants and their effects on child development.MethodsA survey was launched via Qualtrics and posted on the American Speech-Language Hearing Association’s Early Intervention Community page to assess environmental health knowledge of SLPs. Results from this survey were used to create an environmental health CE event targeted towards EI SLPs. Attendees were given a pre- and post-test to assess the effectiveness of our program.ResultsOne hundred and fifty-eight participants completed the online survey and a majority (61%, n = 97) of participants reported some level of dissatisfaction with their previous training in regards to environmental exposures. Fifty-six percent (n = 89) of the participants also reported feeling unprepared to be a health advocate regarding environmental exposure concerns within their community. Forty-eight people (26 SLPs and 22 SLP master’s students) attended the CE event. Paired t-tests revealed significant improvements from the pre- to the post- test results among all attendees.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that SLPs who work in EI feel undertrained and unprepared to advocate for environmental health to the families they serve. This study reveals that CE is one way by which to increase the knowledge base of SLPs on environmental health.
Highlights
The goals of this study were (1) to determine early intervention (EI) Speech-Language Pathologists’ (SLPs) level of training and knowledge on environmental toxicants and their effect on infant and child development; and (2) to examine the effectiveness of a continuing education (CE) event designed to enhance the knowledge of EI Speech-language pathologists (SLP) on environmental toxicants and their effects on child development
A majority (60%; n = 95) reported that they had not received specific training regarding the effect of environmental exposures on child development
Regardless of training, 78% (n = 124) of participants reported that the role of environmental health on child development is very important; only 24% (n = 38) reported always considering environmental health factors during EI
Summary
The goals of this study were (1) to determine early intervention (EI) Speech-Language Pathologists’ (SLPs) level of training and knowledge on environmental toxicants and their effect on infant and child development; and (2) to examine the effectiveness of a continuing education (CE) event designed to enhance the knowledge of EI SLPs on environmental toxicants and their effects on child development. The annual costs of environmentally attributable diseases such as lead poisoning, asthma, childhood cancer, and neurobehavioral disorders is about $54.9 billion across American children [5]. These financial costs fall on the families of affected children, and on government programs, such as early intervention and public schooling. Bellinger compared common children’s health problems (birth defects, preterm birth, ADHD, Autism, brain injuries) to lead, organophosphate pesticides, and methylmercury [8] and found that the three environmental exposures together would decrease population-wide children’s IQ by 40 million points compared to the 34 million IQ points for preterm birth, 17 million IQ points for ADHD, and 7 million IQ points for Autism. A review by Dzwilewski and Schantz suggests that these overall reductions in intellectual function likely hinder language development as well; it is important for clinicians and researchers in communication sciences and disorders to be aware of these findings [9]
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