Determining the Awareness and Attitudes of Professionals Working with Individuals with Special Needs Towards Alternative and Augmentative Communicatıion Systems

Aim: The study aimed to determine the awareness levels and attitudes of professionals working with individuals with special needs towards Alternative and Augmentative Communication Systems. Material and Method: The study included 194 professionals aged between 21 and 67, working at special education and rehabilitation centers in Ankara. Participants were administered a sociodemographic information form and the Attitude Scale for Alternative and Augmentative Communication Systems. The data were analyzed using the SPSS Statistics IBM Version 26.0 software. Results: In our study, it was found that professionals aged 35-40, women, those with a doctoral level of education, and professionals with more than 10 years of experience working with individuals with special needs had higher scores on the Attitude Scale for Augmentative and Alternative Communication Systems. On the other hand, no statistically significant difference was found in attitude scale scores in terms of variables such as professional groups, attending courses related to augmentative communication systems, participation in special augmentative communication system courses, and the implementation of augmentative communication systems. Conclusion: Training programs designed for professionals from various disciplines working with individuals with special needs may benefit from including more comprehensive information and practical opportunities related to augmentative and alternative communication systems. This could enable professionals to establish more effective and meaningful interactions with these individuals.