Training Educational Assistants to Facilitate Grammatical Development of Adolescents Who Use AAC
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Authors
Eckdahl, Hallie G.
Issue Date
2018-11
Type
Dissertation
Language
en_US
Keywords
Dissertations, Academic--United States , American Speech-Language-Hearing Association , People with disabilities--Means of communication , Speech therapists
Alternative Title
Abstract
In 2016, the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) surveyed school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and found that approximately 55% served students who used some form of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) (ASHA Schools Survey). AAC offers the potential for individuals with complex communication needs (CCN) to enhance communication, improve academic achievement, and increase societal participation. Unfortunately, many students lack access to effective AAC interventions due to lack of practicing SLPs with experience in AAC (ASHA, 2010), as well as a lack of training for key stakeholders (e.g. parents, teachers, educational assistants). Costigan and Light (2010) noted that many clinicians and special education teachers receive little to no pre-service exposure to AAC. In many schools across America, educational assistants (EAs) may spend the most amount of time supporting students who use AAC, but receive the least amount of formal training (Kent- Walsh & Light, 2003).
While there is a growing body of research evidence that suggests that EAs can be trained to support the communication of young children with CCN, there is a notable gap with adolescent students (Binger, Kent-Walsh, Ewing, & Taylor, 2010; Douglas, Light, & McNaughton, 2012; Kent-Walsh, 2003). Therefore, the current investigation sought to expand the research base in the area of partner instruction to evaluate the viability with an adolescent population of AAC users. The current investigation utilized a single-subject, multiple-baseline design across three dyads to examine the effects of training EAs to modify their interaction patterns during a curriculum based reading activity with the adolescent AAC user that they support. More specifically, the EAs were taught to use the Read-Ask-Answer-Prompt (RAAP!) interaction strategy (Binger et al., 2010) in order to facilitate their students’ use of grammatical morphology.
Visual Analysis and effect size analyses indicated that the intervention was highly effective at increasing the EAs’ use of the target strategy, as well as the students’ correct production of grammatical morphemes. These findings suggest that an effective communication partner training program can lead to EA instructional gains, as well as communication gains for adolescents who use aided communication. The results, clinical and educational implications, and future directions are discussed.
Description
Citation
Eckdahl, Hallie G., "Training Educational Assistants to Facilitate Grammatical Development of Adolescents Who Use AAC," Ph.D. diss., Valdosta State University, 2018. https://hdl.handle.net/10428/3862.
Publisher
License
This dissertation is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553, revised in 1976). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotations from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgement. Use of the materials for financial gain with the author's expressed written permissions is not allowed.