Abstract
The aims of this study were to examine speech-language pathologists’ (SLPs) knowledge and consideration of factors found in research when making clinical decisions regarding AAC for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and to reveal additional factors identified based on SLPs’ clinical practice. A 20-question mixed-methods survey was completed internationally by 187 certified SLPs. Overall, SLPs showed some familiarity with the research and considered factors found in research when making clinical decisions. SLPs also identified 20 factors that were not identified in the most recent systematic review that may predict, moderate, and/or mediate outcomes. This information may contribute to advancing clinical services regarding AAC as well as guide future research investigating the mechanisms by which children with ASD respond to AAC interventions.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank the participants who shared their experience and expertise in this research. This study will form part of Stephanie Sievers doctoral dissertation.
Funding
David Trembath was supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council ECR Fellowship (GNT1071811).
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SBS, DT and MFW contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by SBS under the supervision of DT and MFW. The first draft of the manuscript was written by SBS and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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This study was approved by the Griffith University Human Ethics Committee (Ref: 2017/758).
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Sievers, S.B., Trembath, D. & Westerveld, M.F. Speech-Language Pathologists’ Knowledge and Consideration of Factors That May Predict, Moderate, and Mediate AAC Outcomes. J Autism Dev Disord 50, 238–249 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-04217-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-04217-4