The "MAP" survey: an international investigation of SLPs' training and working practices to assess and treat plurilingual people with aphasia.

Multilingualism in Speech-Language Pathology deserves particular attention as the number

of plurilingual individuals requiring professional services for aphasia is growing (Goral &

Conner, 2013; Ansaldo & Saidi, 2014; Centeno, 2020; Goral & Hejazi, 2021). A survey

conducted by Centeno (2015) with 125 Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) in the US

showed that there is a need for improvement of both professional training and clinical

resources so that SLPs are better equipped to provide clinical services for plurilingual

persons with aphasia (PPWA). Based on a survey study in Norway, Norvik et al. (2022)

showed that Centeno’s conclusions can be extended to the European context. Our current

understanding of worldwide clinical practices adapted for PPWA is limited since to date no

comprehensive and international evaluation has been conducted to assess SLPs’ needs and

the current state of affairs regarding aphasia assessment and treatment in plurilingual

individuals. Given that many SLPs are providing clinical services to PPWA despite the lack

of specific training and appropriate clinical tools to assess and treat aphasia in more than

one language, the current study aims:

to assess the degree of awareness of professional SLPs about multilingualism in their

clinical practice;

to determine the frequency of their clinical practice with PPWA and their perceptions

of readiness for the assessment and treatment of this population;

to identify their common clinical practices and perceived challenges when providing

clinical services to PPWA.

The “Multilingual Aphasia Practices” (MAP) survey is an international and comprehensive

survey available in multiple languages spoken across the globe that was designed with the

aim of reaching a representative sample of SLPs and providing a comprehensive picture of

the current state of affairs in multilingual aphasia management worldwide.