This SIG 12 activity offers opportunities to extend augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) clinical practice through the inclusion of critical topic areas. The first article describes survey results and offers recommendations on parent perspectives regarding AAC assessments, barriers, and supports. Then, the second article focuses on the perceptions of Latina mothers of young children in early intervention settings, highlighting the need for culturally responsive communication and family centered support. As a part of a review of the existing literature, the third article uncovers needs for family centered, multilingual, and multicultural practice and calls for more quantitative research in multilingualism and AAC.

Learning Outcomes
You will be able to:

• identify the primary themes from parent interviews focusing on how these ideas influence augmentative and alternative communication family centered interventions
• describe three perceptions shared by Latina mothers related to culturally and linguistically accessible training and family's specific values and beliefs regarding augmentative and alternative communication
• list two ways to support multilingual clients who use augmentative and alternative communication based on this literature review

Assessment Type
Self-assessment—Think about what you learned and report on the Completion Form how you will use your new knowledge.

Articles in This Course

1. Parents' Perspectives of Augmentative and Alternative Communication: From Assessment to Implementation by Natalie R. Andzik, Alicia M. LaRouech, and Allison L. Gladfelter, published in SIG 12, Volume 9, Issue 1, February 2024
2. Perspectives and Experiences of Eight Latina Mothers of Young Children With Augmentative and Alternative Communication Needs by Maria De Leon, Patti Solomon-Rice, and Gloria Soto, published in SIG 12, Volume 8, Issue 5, October 2023
3. Multilingualism and Augmentative and Alternative Communication: A Review of the Literature by Natalie R. Andzik and Hannah N. LaMarca, published in SIG 12, Volume 9, Issue 3, June 2024