Dada Shakila, Murphy Yvonne, Tönsing Kerstin
a Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication , University of Pretoria , Pretoria , South Africa.
Augment Altern Commun. 2017 Dec;33(4):189-200. doi: 10.1080/07434618.2017.1375979. Epub 2017 Sep 21.
Speech-language therapists (SLTs) have direct contact with a wide variety of individuals who require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and they are therefore considered to have a primary role in the assessment, selection, and implementation of AAC symbols, techniques, aids, and strategies. Limited information is available with regard to SLTs' practices in the field of AAC, and there is a particular paucity of information about developing country contexts such as South Africa. The aim of this study was to determine how South African SLTs perceive their current AAC practices. Specifically, the study aimed to investigate SLTs' assessment and intervention practices, their choice and use of graphic symbols, and display layouts for aided AAC systems. An online survey was developed, using the Qualtrics Research Suite™ online survey software. The survey included open-ended questions (analyzed using thematic analysis) and closed questions (analyzed using descriptive statistics). The responses indicated that SLTs in South Africa currently use a limited variety of assessment and intervention approaches. The data suggest that current practices are informed by previous experience with various technologies and AAC systems and that the primary caseloads of SLTs do not appear to inform specific approaches to assessment and AAC implementation.
言语治疗师（SLTs）与各种需要辅助和替代沟通（AAC）的个体有直接接触，因此他们被认为在AAC符号、技术、辅助工具和策略的评估、选择及实施中发挥着主要作用。关于言语治疗师在AAC领域的实践，现有信息有限，而关于像南非这样的发展中国家背景的信息尤其匮乏。本研究的目的是确定南非言语治疗师如何看待他们当前的AAC实践。具体而言，该研究旨在调查言语治疗师的评估和干预实践、他们对图形符号的选择和使用，以及辅助AAC系统的显示布局。使用Qualtrics Research Suite™在线调查软件开展了一项在线调查。该调查包括开放式问题（使用主题分析进行分析）和封闭式问题（使用描述性统计进行分析）。调查结果表明，南非的言语治疗师目前使用的评估和干预方法种类有限。数据显示，当前的实践受到以往对各种技术和AAC系统的经验影响，而且言语治疗师的主要工作量似乎并未为评估和AAC实施的具体方法提供依据。
