Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons^™

The Parent Perspective On Augmentative And Alternative Communication: A Qualitative Study, Alicia Larouech

Honors Capstones

Parents are known to be effective communication partners in their child’s augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention. The aim of this interview study was to better understand the parent perspective in the AAC acquisition, implementation, and handing processes across a range of primary disability labels and ages. Participants engaged in phone interviews to discuss their family’s experiences with AAC obtainment and intervention. Qualitative review of their responses developed the following five themes: assessment procedures, external variables that influence device use, barriers of AAC navigation, supports parents have indicated have helped them, and major takeaways as identified by parents. Further subthemes …

Learner Outcomes From An Echo In Augmentative And Alternative Communication, Lillie Reinhart

Theses and Dissertations--Communication Sciences and Disorders

Background: Students with complex communication needs (CCN) rely on the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to support their communication; however, many students are leaving high school without an effective form of communication. To build capacity and increase school professionals’ knowledge and self-efficacy in AAC, this thesis used an adaptation of Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) for use with AAC.

Methods: Using a post then pre-retrospective survey, participants self-reported changes in knowledge, confidence, and overall satisfaction with ECHO sessions. Paired sample t-tests assessed participant-reported change in knowledge. Frequency counts were used to analyze responses about confidence and …