Background: Effective and successful augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) relies on the knowledge and competence of professionals in the field of AAC. Sufficient training in AAC is therefore required for professionals to deliver quality AAC service (Dada et al., 2017; Sanders et al., 2021). However, structured opportunities for professional development in AAC are critically needed, particularly in assessment (Dada et al., 2017; Flores & Dada, 2025). African countries, specifically, have very few AAC professional development opportunities (Dada et al., 2017). The development of such opportunities should consider the realities of the working professional (Douglas et al., 2020; Forde & Gallagher, 2020) and the principles of andragogy (Knowles et al., 2015). The main aim of this study is to develop a training programme on AAC assessment and subsequently determine and compare the effectiveness of the training programme delivered using two online training methods on professionals’ knowledge of and self-efficacy in AAC assessment in the South African context.
Method: This presentation focusses on the delivery of the online training programme using two methods, namely the combined (asynchronous and synchronous) online training method and the purely asynchronous online training method, and a comparison of these methods. A two-arm group control trial with wait-list control design was used to determine and compare the effects on professionals’ knowledge of and self-efficacy in AAC assessment.
Results: Both the combined online training and the asynchronous online training revealed a significant increase in knowledge of and self-efficacy in AAC assessment. There was no significant difference between the training methods. The participants perceived both methods positively, although some suggestions for improvement were made.
Conclusion: The results of this study support the use of both combined and asynchronous online training for professionals who provide AAC services in the South African context. This would allow the few AAC experts in Africa to reach more professionals through the use of online training, addressing a significant gap in the research pertaining to the training of professionals.
Dada, S., Murphy, Y., & Tönsing, K. (2017). Augmentative and alternative communication practices: A descriptive study of the perceptions of South African speech-language therapists. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 33(4), 189–200. https://doi.org/10.1080/07434618.2017.1375979
Douglas, S. N., West, P., & Kammes, R. (2020). The training experiences of augmentative and alternative communication practitioners in one midwestern state. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 5(February), 219–230.
Flores, C., & Dada, S. (2025). The effect of AAC training programs on professionals’ knowledge, skills and self-efficacy in AAC: a scoping review. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 41(1), 65–77. https://doi.org/10.1080/07434618.2024.2381462
Forde, C., & Gallagher, S. (2020). Postgraduate online teaching in healthcare: An analysis of student perspectives. Online Learning Journal, 24(1), 118–139. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v24i1.1566
Knowles, M. S., Holton, E. F., & Swanson, R. A. (2015). The Adult learner: The definitive classic in adult education and human resource development. Taylor & Francis.
Sanders, E. J., Page, T. A., & Lesher, D. (2021). School-based speech-language pathologists: Confidence in augmentative and alternative communication assessment. Language, Speech & Hearing Services in Schools, 52, 512–528. http://10.0.4.20/2020_LSHSS-20-00067
Accessible summary
* This study looked at how professionals who work in AAC can be taught about AAC.
* The professionals learned how to check if someone needs AAC.
* They learned through two kinds of online training. We wanted to see if this way of training worked well for professionals, and if one way was better than the other.
* Both kinds of online training worked well. One way was not better than the other.
* This is important for persons who use AAC because it gives professionals easy ways to learn about AAC to make them better at working in AAC.
