AAC and Australian speech pathologists: a report on a national survey

A total of 971 speech pathologists from across Australia participated in a survey that investigated their knowledge of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), their AAC practices, the AAC resources available to them, and their preferred format for further education. The results indicated that 98% of respondents had at least some knowledge of AAC and only 13% never recommended AAC in their practice. However, 29% had recommended a device they had never seen and 36% indicated that they would not recommend AAC for a client who was presymbolic. Access to resources appeared to be related to the location of respondents in relation to a capital city. Overall, there appeared to be a lack of AAC expertise within the profession in Australia. A lack of interest in obtaining further information on AAC and an unwillingness to enroll in further education highlighted the need for collaboration among the professional organization, training institutions, and employment bodies in ensuring adequate levels of knowledge and skills among speech pathologists.