Student Perspectives on Experiential Learning During An Online Primary Progressive Aphasia Group

Purpose: Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a language-led dementia that impacts a person's ability to communicate. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are essential in supporting people living with PPA (PwPPA); however, many SLPs report insufficient preparation for this role. The Community of Mentors with Primary Progressive Aphasia Supporting Students (COMPPASS) Program was developed to address this gap by engaging speech-language pathology students in experiential learning during a psychoeducational group for PwPPA and their partners. The aim of this study is to explore speech-language pathology students' perspectives of their learning about PPA through participation in the COMPPASS Program. Method: We used a cross-sectional study design involving an online survey, gathering students' perceptions on the development of their confidence, knowledge, and skills working with PwPPA. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics of quantitative data (single-item summaries and cross-item tabulations). Responses to open-ended questions were used to enhance and contextualize the results of the quantitative data. Results: Overall, the students' feedback highlighted that participation in the COMPPASS Program resulted in perceived increases in their confidence, knowledge, and skills in working with PwPPA. Most students found interacting with PwPPA and their partners to be the most beneficial for their learning about PPA. There was a low level of agreement among the students regarding which aspects were hindering to their learning. Conclusions: The results of this research will enhance SLP students' learning about the lived experience of PPA directly from PwPPA. This research will provide guidance to other SLP and allied health educational programs on delivering PPA education involving the voices of PwPPA. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.31936839