Clinical Supervisors' Perceptions of the Knowledge and Skills of Graduate Students in Augmentative and Alternative Communication

Purpose: This initiative examines the clinical preparedness of speech-language pathology students from the clinical supervisors' perceptions in the area of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Previous investigations have identified insufficient education in graduate programs for the specialty of AAC. Method: Fifty speech-language pathology clinical supervisors completed a 20-question survey that explored their perceptions of the clinical skills and confidence of graduate student supervisees in AAC. Queries on AAC preparedness targeted practice patterns and experiences with graduate students, implementation of preservice education in a clinical setting, and supervisors' perceptions of graduate students' confidence with AAC skills. Results: Findings indicated a wide variance with clinical supervisory experience from participants; however, six main themes were identified in preservice clinical activities, which suggest a clear direction of need for AAC teaching topics. In addition, results yielded specific recommendations for students to advance skill development. Despite their clinical practice setting or supervisory experience, a majority of supervisors (40, 78%) identified students as demonstrating low confidence in managing AAC in their clinical practicum. Conclusions: The survey results identified a need for improved and more effective clinical preparation in AAC. Further investigation is needed to fully comprehend the scope of graduate preparedness in various settings with a broader demographic of speech-language pathologists.