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ERIC Number: EJ1317647
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Oct
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0161-1461
EISSN: EISSN-1558-9129
An Initial Investigation into the Feasibility of the Communication Matrix Professional Development Program for Educational Professionals Working with Students with Complex Communication Needs
Quinn, Emily D.; Cook, Alexandria; Wiedrick, Jack; Rowland, Charity
Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, v52 n4 p1080-1094 Oct 2021
Purpose: The goal of this study was to investigate the initial feasibility of the Communication Matrix Professional Development Program (CMPDP), an online program created to help educational professionals teaching students with complex communication needs. Method: A one-group pretest-posttest design was employed with 102 educational professionals and their students with complex communication needs. Students (M[subscript age] = 12.5 years, SD = 4.8 years) had severe expressive communication impairments characterized by an expressive vocabulary of < 10 words. The online CMPDP included webinars, coursework, and engagement with an online community of practice. We examined the students' expressive communication skills measured by the Communication Matrix Assessment and Individualized Education Program (IEP) goal quality measured by the Design to Learn IEP Goal Development Guide before and after their teachers and speech-language pathologists participated in the intervention. Results: Students showed small but significant increases on the Communication Matrix Assessment. The average increase in scores was 10.6, z = 5.37, 95% confidence interval (CI; [6.65, 14.54]), Glass's delta = 0.37. The mean gain in scores for IEP quality was not significant (0.82, z = 2.43, 95% CI [0.14, 1.49], Glass's delta = 0.28). Conclusions: Results demonstrate the initial feasibility of the CMPDP for educational professionals and their students with complex communication needs. Findings must be interpreted cautiously as the study design has methodological limitations including lack of a control condition and a potential for correlated measurement error and demand characteristics.
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 2200 Research Blvd #250, Rockville, MD 20850. Tel: 301-296-5700; Fax: 301-296-8580; e-mail: lshss@asha.org; Web site: http://lshss.pubs.asha.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education; High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Department of Education (ED); National Institutes of Health (DHHS)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Oregon
Grant or Contract Numbers: H327S130010; ULTR002369