Abstract
The objectives of this study were to (a) determine the number of children and adolescents with complex communication needs between the ages of 3 and 21 years who attended special education preschools and schools in Israel; and (b) to probe characteristics of this population's educational programs, especially with respect to AAC interventions and equipment use. Of the 5430 students enrolled in 183 special education preschool and school settings, responses were received for 73% of the children, of whom about 40% were reported to have complex communication needs. It is anticipated that the results of the study will provide guidance with respect to (a) establishing intervention strategies for children in need of AAC, (b) identifying the type and number of training programs required by AAC professionals, and (c) establishing a more equitable allocation of resources for AAC purposes from the national health and education budgets.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 56-66 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | AAC: Augmentative and Alternative Communication |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 2005 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología of Spain supported this work through Grant No. BFM2000-0622.
Keywords
- Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)
- Cerebral palsy
- Demographics
- Intellectual disability
- Professional training
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Rehabilitation
- Speech and Hearing
