The knowledge, confidence and attitudes of Australian speech-language pathologists in augmentative and alternative communication for children and young people

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is a core component of speech-language pathology practice however international literature has highlighted that speech-language pathologists (SLPs) do not feel confident in this area. An online survey was used to investigate the self-perceived knowledge, confidence, and attitudes of Australian SLPs in relation to AAC for chil dren and young people using a 7-point Likert scale; 205 participants responded. Participants reported moderate levels of knowledge (M ¼ 4.95; SD ¼ 1.07) and confidence (M ¼ 5.09; SD ¼ 1.25); attitude had the highest overall ratings (M ¼ 5.64; SD ¼ 1.20). Generally, knowledge, confidence and attitude scores were greater for SLPs who worked in a metropolitan area, had more experience and a higher percentage of AAC users on their caseload. SLPs rated the adequacy of their pre-professional training in AAC for children and young people as low (M ¼ 3.69; SD ¼ 2.05). These findings suggest further investigation into the training of SLPs in AAC is required to ensure that this training is preparing SLPs for the contemporary workforce.