Preparedness, Training, and Support for Augmentative and Alternative Communication Telepractice During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch
; 53(2): 335-359, 2022 04 11.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1740499
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
The global COVID-19 pandemic brought about widespread use of telepractice to provide services to children with communication disorders, including students who use aided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) such as speech-generating devices. This descriptive quantitative study utilized network analysis to investigate the nature of speech-language pathologists' (SLPs') professional resource networks during the pandemic, including what aspects of their professional networks were associated with their confidence to use telepractice to serve students who use aided AAC and whether there were differences for school-based compared to nonschool-based SLPs.METHOD:
Participants were 283 SLPs who responded to an online survey that consisted of closed- and open-ended survey items. A resource generator approach was used to gather data about SLPs' professional resource networks for AAC telepractice.RESULTS:
SLPs varied widely in their confidence for AAC telepractice. School-based SLPs and SLPs who had 3 years or fewer of AAC experience reported lower confidence, whereas SLPs who spent more work time each week using telepractice and who accessed a greater number of different types of training reported higher confidence. The number of people in different roles providing personal support and the number of different electronic/print resources accessed were not significant predictors of SLPs' confidence. The majority of SLPs wanted additional training, support, or resources related to AAC telepractice.CONCLUSION:
The findings from this research suggest the importance of SLPs' access to quality training and support in the areas of AAC and telepractice, particularly for school-based SLPs.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Speech-Language Pathology
/
Communication Disorders
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Child
/
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
2021_lshss-21-00159
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