Abstract
We aimed to determine whether there is an association between teaching and the development of progressive speech and language disorders (SLDs). Occupation was compared between 100 patients with a progressive SLD, 404 patients with Alzheimer's dementia, and the 2008 US census. In SLDs, the most common occupation was teacher (22%) versus 8% in Alzheimer's dementia. The odds ratio (OR) of being a teacher in SLDs compared to Alzheimer's dementia was 3.4 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.87-6.17). No differences were observed in the frequency of other occupations. The frequency of teachers was higher in SLDs compared to the US census, OR of 6.9 (95% CI = 4.3-11.1). Farming, forestry, and fishing occupations were more frequent in SLDs compared to the US census. We identified an association between progressive SLDs and the occupation of teaching. Since teaching is a communication demanding occupation, teachers may be more sensitive to the development of speech and language impairments.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 612-616 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias |
Volume | 28 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 2013 |
Keywords
- Alzheimer's
- aphasia
- dementia
- occupation
- teacher
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Neuroscience
- Clinical Psychology
- Geriatrics and Gerontology
- Psychiatry and Mental health