Augmentative and Alternative Communication Assessment for Children on the Autism Spectrum: Protocol Development and...

Area of Science:

• Speech-Language Pathology
• Augmentative and Alternative Communication
• Autism Spectrum Disorder

Background:

• Many speech-language pathologists (SLPs) report low confidence in performing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) evaluations.
• A need exists for structured guidance in AAC assessment, particularly for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and content validation of a novel protocol designed to assist SLPs in conducting AAC assessments for children with ASD.
• To enhance the quality and consistency of AAC evaluations provided by SLPs.

Main Methods:

• Protocol content was developed through literature review, observation of AAC specialists, and expert interviews.
• Content validation involved five AAC and ASD specialists rating protocol items and participating in advisory meetings for refinement.

Main Results:

• The developed protocol includes detailed descriptions of assessment areas, rationales, and suggested methodologies.
• The final protocol demonstrated excellent content validity following expert review and revisions.

Conclusions:

• The validated AAC assessment protocol provides a structured framework for SLPs working with children with ASD.
• Future research will focus on the protocol's clinical feasibility and its impact on SLP decision-making in AAC assessments.