AAC Business as Usual: Clinical Practice of School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists

Abstract

School speech-language pathologists (SLPs; n = 233), via survey, provided the following business-as-usual (BAU) augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) practices: (a) service delivery models, (b) treatment intensity, (c) the number of aided models provided, and (d) caseload size and knowledge. In addition to descriptive analyses, logistic regressions determined if caseload predicted the most frequently used BAU practices. Group pull-out with two, 30-minute sessions per week was used most frequently. Most SLPs provided fewer than 20 aided models per 15-minute period. Logistic regressions revealed that SLPs with larger caseloads did not utilize the group pull-out model as frequently as SLPs with smaller caseloads. As caseload size increased, SLPs were more likely to use classroom-based services. Finally, only SLPs with large caseloads were considered high-frequency modelers. Overall, this survey provides clinicians with a starting point to enhance clinical decisions until additional BAU quantitative research is conducted with children who use AAC systems.