Collaborative teaming to support students with augmentative and alternative communication needs in general education classrooms

TLDR

The study examined whether a collaborative teaming process could improve academic achievement and social participation for three students with AAC needs in general education classrooms. Three interdisciplinary teams—comprising the general‑education teacher, inclusion support teacher, instructional assistant, speech‑language pathologist, and a parent—created and jointly implemented Unified Plans of Support that integrated academic adaptations with communication and social supports, and assessed their effectiveness through behavioral observations and team interviews. Consistent implementation of these support plans was linked to gains in academic skills, peer interactions, classroom engagement, and broader use of AAC devices by the students, underscoring the value of collaborative teaming for AAC learners.

Abstract

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the use of a team collaboration process to increase the academic achievement and social participation of three students with augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) needs who were members of general education classrooms. Three educational teams, comprised of the general education teacher, inclusion support teacher, instructional assistant, speech-language pathologist, and one of the student's parents, developed and collaboratively implemented Unified Plans of Support for the students that consisted of academic adaptations and communication and social supports. The effectiveness of the support plans was evaluated through behavioral observations and team interviews. Evaluation outcomes suggest that consistent implementation of the plans of support by team members was associated with improvements in academic skills, social interactions with peers, engagement in classroom activities, and use by the students of a variety of AAC devices. Implications of the collaborative teaming process in supporting students with AAC needs in general education classrooms are discussed.