Underreported Demographic Factors in Apraxia of Speech Treatment Studies: Recommendations for Inclusive Research

Purpose: While acquired apraxia of speech (AOS) has been the focus of inter-vention research for decades, little information is reported about the demo-graphic representation of study participants. This article examines the extent to which published AOS treatment studies report participants’ age, sex/gender, race/ethnicity, language background, and socioeconomic status; identifies criti-cal gaps in the literature; and considers implications for representativeness. This information supports the important call to capture these patient factors syste-matically and thereby advance equity in research and clinical care. Method: This study is part of a larger systematic review examining treatment out-comes for acquired AOS. A comprehensive search of databases from 1951 to April 2024 was completed to determine the proportion of treatment articles that reported demographic information related to diversity. Studies were reviewed by trained raters using a standardized data extraction protocol with a consensus protocol. Results: While participant age and sex/gender were reported in nearly all studies (99% and 100%, respectively), only 24% of studies reported on race/ethnicity, 15% provided information on participants’ language background, and none reported socioeconomic status. Among studies that included race/ethnicity, 89% of the par-ticipants were White, with minimal representation of other racial/ethnic groups. Conclusions: The underreporting of race/ethnicity, language background, and socioeconomic factors limits the generalizability and ecological validity of AOS treatment research. The field must prioritize inclusive participant recruitment and consistent demographic reporting. We propose a practical template for use in both research and clinical contexts to support more thorough data collection and to inform future work in diagnosis, assessment, and intervention for AOS. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.31172353