Parents' Experiences and Acceptance Factors of AAC Intervention for Children with Complex Communication Needs

Abstract

Objectives:This study examined the experiences of parents of children with complex communication needs who received AAC interventions. It sought to explore the factors that facilitated parent acceptance of the AAC intervention to identify explicit approaches for encouraging acceptance and implementation. Methods:The study was conducted as a qualitative research. 12 parents of children with complex communication needs were individually interviewed in-depth.The interviews were all transcribed and then analyzed using the constant comparative method. Results: A total of 7 themes with 24 associated sub-themes were identified regarding parents' experiences of AAC intervention; namely increase in satisfaction with communication intervention, awareness of need for early intervention, change in expectations for child's quality of life, increase of competence in parenting, need for improvement of AAC systems, demand for increased access to AAC, and continued expectations of speech production. The factors that affected the parents' acceptance of AAC interventions were categorized into parent perception and propensity and environmental support, with 7 associated sub-themes. Conclusion: Based on the results, the study discussed the factors and means of support that must be considered for the early acceptance and sustained implementation of AAC intervention for children with complex communication needs. Continual cooperation and efforts on the part of stakeholders is necessary to further encourage AAC intervention for children with complex communication needs.