An Initial Investigation Into the Feasibility of the Communication Matrix Professional Development Program for...

Area of Science:

• Speech and Language Pathology
• Special Education
• Assistive Technology

Background:

• Students with complex communication needs often require specialized educational support.
• Effective professional development is crucial for educators working with these students.
• The Communication Matrix Professional Development Program (CMPDP) is an online intervention designed to enhance educators' skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the initial feasibility of the online CMPDP for educational professionals.
• To assess the program's impact on students with complex communication needs.
• To measure changes in students' expressive communication skills and Individualized Education Program (IEP) goal quality.

Main Methods:

• A one-group pretest-posttest design was used with 102 educational professionals and their students.
• Students had severe expressive communication impairments.
• The CMPDP included webinars, coursework, and a community of practice.

Main Results:

• Students demonstrated small but significant improvements in expressive communication skills as measured by the Communication Matrix Assessment (average increase of 10.6).
• No significant gains were observed in the quality of Individualized Education Program goals.
• The program's feasibility was supported, but findings require cautious interpretation due to methodological limitations.

Conclusions:

• The CMPDP appears initially feasible for training educational professionals to support students with complex communication needs.
• Further research with a control group is recommended to confirm the program's efficacy.
• The study highlights the need for continued development of effective professional development for special education.