Peer-reviewed article
Development of FamTAM Intervention for Speech and Language Pathologists and Family Members.
Douglas SN, Meadan H, Dunkel-Jackson S, Bagawan A, Terol AK et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study describes the development of FamTAM, an intervention to train speech and language pathologists and family members to support children with complex communication needs who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The researchers iteratively refined training content through expert reviews and interviews with speech therapists and caregivers. Participants found the intervention engaging, practical, and aligned with evidence-based AAC practices, though areas for improvement were identified.
Key points
- Approximately one-third of children with autism have complex communication needs and use AAC systems
- FamTAM provides aided language modeling training and coaching for caregivers and school-based speech language pathologists
- The intervention was developed through iterative refinement including expert reviews and stakeholder interviews
- Participants rated the intervention as engaging, practical, and evidence-aligned
- Areas for further refinement were identified through participant feedback
Limitations
The document does not specify which countries the work was conducted in, the sample size of participants, or whether the intervention was tested for effectiveness through a comparison group or control condition. No data on actual outcomes for children using AAC are provided.
Abstract
Children with complex communication needs, including approximately one-third of children with autism, use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to meet their daily communication needs. AAC includes gestures, sign language, picture symbols, and computerized systems to augment or replace speech. Family support and training are essential for effective AAC implementation, but few interventions exist. We describe the iterative development of the FamTAM Intervention-an aided language modeling training and coaching intervention designed to support caregiver implementation and their school-based speech language pathologists (SLPs) preparedness to provide family coaching. We detail the iterative process, including refining the training content and delivery, expert reviews, and interviews with SLPs and caregivers. We also conducted interviews with participants to assess the clarity, feasibility, acceptability, and usability of the intervention. Our findings indicate that participants viewed the FamTAM Intervention as engaging, practical, and aligned with evidence-based AAC practices, while also identifying areas for further refinement.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- FamTAM Intervention - an aided language modeling training and coaching intervention designed to support caregiver implementation of AAC and prepare school-based speech language pathologists to provide family coaching
- Population
- Speech language pathologists and family members/caregivers of children with complex communication needs
Key finding
Participants viewed the FamTAM Intervention as engaging