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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article

Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Autism
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1385947
This article is part of the Research Topic Physical and Medical Conditions Associated with Autism View all 8 articles

Comparing and Contrasting Barriers in Augmentative Alternative Communication use in Nonspeaking Autism and Complex Communication Needs: Multi-stakeholder Perspectives

Provisionally accepted
Shu H. Yau Shu H. Yau 1,2*Kaylynn S. Choo Kaylynn S. Choo 1Stephanie Bovell Stephanie Bovell 1Jane Tan Jane Tan 1Olivia Monson Olivia Monson 1
  • 1 Murdoch University, Perth, Australia
  • 2 University of Bristol, Bristol, England, United Kingdom

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) devices or systems are often prescribed to minimally verbal or nonspeaking autistic individuals and other individuals with complex communication needs to facilitate communication or as an alternative to spoken language.AAC use can result in communication gains and improved quality of life for minimally verbal or nonspeaking individuals. Despite this, AAC abandonment is high, limiting societal participation of the individual on the autism spectrum with complex communication needs.Our study is a novel exploration of the barriers of AAC use from a multi-stakeholder perspective, and a qualitative analysis of similarities and differences between stakeholders.We conducted semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 30 parent-carers, educators and clinicians currently supporting AAC users in Western Australia and analysed the data using reflexive thematic analysis. Barriers from each stakeholder group were coded, resulting in 17 subthemes forming five main themes common to all stakeholders: Stakeholder Knowledge, Stakeholder Attitudes and Stigma, Resources, AAC-user Engagement, and Device Fit. Contrasting perspectives included actual and perceived stigma associated with AAC use (clinicians vs carers); different struggles with resources and knowledge (parents vs clinicians and educators); and a lack of clinician communication in the processes that determined AAC-fit for school environments (educators only). Findings are discussed in the context of improving inter-stakeholder collaboration and capacity building in Australian health service and practice to better support minimally verbal or nonspeaking autistic individuals and individuals with complex communication needs. Suggestions are also offered for communication partner training.

    Keywords: Augmentative alternative communication, autism, Communication partners, complex communication needs, minimally verbal, nonspeaking, Stakeholder perspectives

    Received: 14 Feb 2024; Accepted: 16 May 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Yau, Choo, Bovell, Tan and Monson. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Shu H. Yau, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.