Speech-Language Pathologist’s Perspective on Effective Strategies for Generalizing Social Communication in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder Using AAC
Alexa Almonte
Co-Presenters: Candice Powell-Diaz, Nicolette Morro
College: The College of Health Professions and Human Services
Major: Speech-Language Pathology (M.A.)
Faculty Research Mentor: Mahshid Namazi
Abstract:
Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience significant social communication challenges, and various intervention approaches, including core vocabulary, video-modeling (VM), social stories (SS), and aided language stimulation (ALS), have been proposed to address these difficulties. The purpose of this study is to explore which intervention strategies are most utilized by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to facilitate the generalization of social communication skills in adolescents with ASD who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. Up to thirty American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) certified SLPs with a minimum of two years of experience working with adolescents with ASD using AAC will participate in an online survey. The survey will consist of the participants’ demographics, their knowledge, and experiences when using said strategies in therapy, followed by a likert scale rating of each strategy. It is hypothesized that video-modeling and aided language stimulation will emerge as the most commonly utilized approaches due to their structured and visually supportive nature, aligning with the learning preferences of adolescents with ASD. The findings are expected to inform evidence-based practices, guide treatment plans, and highlight areas of further research to improve outcomes for adolescents with ASD using AAC.