AAC Collaboration, Accessibility & Ethical Practices 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An AAC user is transitioning from a pediatric to an adult healthcare system. Which transition planning action is MOST important for maintaining AAC access?
- Discontinuing pediatric programming to start fresh with adult providers
- Providing adult providers with a comprehensive AAC profile and communication passport (Correct answer)
- Waiting until the adult team requests AAC documentation
- Transferring only the device without accompanying documentation
Correct answer: Providing adult providers with a comprehensive AAC profile and communication passport
A communication passport and AAC profile ensure continuity of care and communication access during healthcare transitions.
Question 2: Which accommodation BEST supports an AAC user participating in a standardized assessment?
- Administer the test verbally without modifications
- Allow the individual to respond using their AAC system with extended time (Correct answer)
- Exclude AAC users from standardized assessments entirely
- Use a different test designed only for non-speaking individuals
Correct answer: Allow the individual to respond using their AAC system with extended time
Allowing AAC-based responses with extended time preserves test validity while ensuring equitable access for the user.
Question 3: An SLP is working with a family who communicates primarily in Spanish at home. The MOST appropriate approach for vocabulary selection on the AAC device is to:
- Program the device only in English to support academic language
- Include both Spanish and English vocabulary to reflect the bilingual environment (Correct answer)
- Ask the family to switch to English-only communication at home
- Delay AAC implementation until the child achieves English proficiency
Correct answer: Include both Spanish and English vocabulary to reflect the bilingual environment
Bilingual AAC users deserve devices that support all languages used in their daily communication environments.
Question 4: A telehealth AAC session reveals that a caregiver is using hand-over-hand prompting to force the child to select symbols. The clinician should FIRST:
- End the session immediately and file a complaint
- Educate the caregiver about less directive, more naturalistic prompting strategies (Correct answer)
- Ignore the behavior as it is the caregiver's choice
- Recommend removing the AAC device until behavior improves
Correct answer: Educate the caregiver about less directive, more naturalistic prompting strategies
Education about naturalistic, less directive prompting strategies supports both communication development and the user's autonomy.
Question 5: Which ethical obligation requires AAC practitioners to stay current with evolving device technology and communication strategies?
- Confidentiality
- Beneficence
- Competence (Correct answer)
- Non-maleficence
Correct answer: Competence
Competence requires ongoing professional development to ensure practitioners provide effective, evidence-based AAC services.
Question 6: A hospital patient is intubated and cannot speak. The AAC team is not involved. Who has the MOST ethical responsibility to initiate an AAC consultation?
- The patient's family only
- The bedside nurse or physician caring for the patient (Correct answer)
- The AAC specialist who must wait to be formally referred
- The hospital administrator
Correct answer: The bedside nurse or physician caring for the patient
Bedside clinicians who identify a communication barrier have an ethical responsibility to initiate an AAC consultation on the patient's behalf.
Question 7: When an AAC team identifies that a client's current device no longer meets their communication needs, the MOST appropriate action is to:
- Continue with the existing device to avoid disruption
- Conduct a reassessment and explore updated or alternative AAC options (Correct answer)
- Request the client purchase a new device independently
- Discontinue AAC services as the device has served its purpose
Correct answer: Conduct a reassessment and explore updated or alternative AAC options
AAC is an ongoing process; reassessment ensures the system continues to match the user's evolving communication needs.
AAC Collaboration, Accessibility & Ethical Practices 3
An AAC user is transitioning from a pediatric to an adult healthcare system.
Which transition planning action is MOST important for maintaining AAC access?