Views of Speech-Language Pathologists on Telepractice for Children Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication.

Publisher: American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101299965 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1934-9556 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 19349491 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Intellect Dev Disabil Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: Washington, DC : American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

COVID-19* ; Intellectual Disability* ; Communication Disorders*/therapy; Humans ; Child ; Pathologists ; Speech ; Attitude of Health Personnel ; Communication

Telepractice has become increasingly utilized in disability services, particularly with recent and ongoing measures to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). In this study, 361 speech-language pathologists (SLPs) responded to a national, web-based survey about their views on utilizing telepractice with children aged 3 to 21 who used aided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), such as picture symbols or speech-generating devices. The views of SLPs varied, and SLPs who received training on AAC telepractice within the last 12 months had more positive views about telepractice than those who did not. Several factors were associated with when and how SLPs thought telepractice was beneficial to serve children who use aided AAC, including SLPs' foundational perspectives about telepractice, service delivery options, considerations related to the child and family, and broader resources and constraints.
(©AAIDD.)

Keywords: AAC; COVID-19; complex communication needs; services; telepractice

Date Created: 20230127 Date Completed: 20230131 Latest Revision: 20230515

20231215

10.1352/1934-9556-61.1.31

36706008