title: Professional Skills for Serving Students Who Use AAC in General Education Classrooms: A Team Perspective.
abstract: The roles of school-based professionals serving students with augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) needs are changing in light of the inclusion movement. Focus group research methodology was used to investigate professional skills regarded by educational team members as necessary to support students who used AAC in general education classrooms. Educational teams consisted of speech-language pathologists, classroom teachers, inclusion support teachers, instructional assistants, and parents. All valued the ability to work collaboratively, provide access to the core curriculum, cultivate social supports, maintain and operate the AAC system, and create classroom structures to educate heterogeneous groups of students. Implications are discussed for AAC service delivery and the professional preparation of speech-language pathologists serving as members of AAC teams in inclusive classrooms.
authors.affiliation: San Francisco State University, CA.
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Soto
authors.affiliation: University of California-Berkeley San Francisco State University.
authors.forename: Eve
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mu Ller
authors.affiliation: San Francisco State University, CA.
authors.forename: Pam
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hunt
authors.affiliation: San Francisco State University, CA.
authors.forename: Lori
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Goetz