JCPSLP Vol 21 No 3 2019

Participants and recruitment The KC2Y service was advertised through various channels, including direct calls and emails to schools, early intervention services, community health services and disability organisations. Families accessed KC2Y through self-referral or were encouraged to attend by a local service provider. They registered for the workshops and consultations via email or phone. All participants who signed a research consent form at the time of the KC2Y information consultation were extended invitations to participate in the study. Of 239 KC2Y consultation participants, 178 provided consent. At 9 months post-consultation, the 178 potential survey participants were contacted and asked to complete a survey. Fifty could not be contacted, 19 declined participation, and 98 asked for the online survey link but only 47 completed it. Eleven participants completed the survey over the phone. The response rate was 53% (58/109). Procedure Nine months post receiving KC2Y service, participants were invited by an email from an administrative assistant to complete a survey. Potential participants were sent information and asked whether they wished to complete the survey through an online link or over the phone with an administrative assistant. A survey research method was used that involved the collection of self-reported data. The self-report survey consisted of 24 questions, requiring approximately 20 minutes to complete. Survey items addressed the child’s age and diagnoses, reasons for attending KC2Y, learnings from KC2Y, use of communication aids both prior to KC2Y and at the time of the survey, and NDIS funding outcomes for those who had completed plans. The response formats were 12 multiple choice, 9 yes/no questions, and 3 open answer questions. Data analysis Data from the survey responses were downloaded into a Microsoft Excel™ worksheet. Descriptive statistics were used to compare the survey results between the age groups of 0–6 years (early childhood) and 7–18 years (school age) (Conner & Johnson, 2017). Results Kids Chat 2 You participants Fifty-five of the 58 family members who completed a survey were parents and the remaining three were grandparents. The participants came from 16 Victorian regions: 37 metropolitan and 21 regional. Fifteen participants came from the same inner-city region. All but two participants attended both a workshop and a consultation. Thirty-five (60%) children were in the 0–6 year age group. A single diagnosis was reported for 80% ( n = 28) of the children, including ASD ( n = 7), genetic disorder ( n = 6), global developmental delay ( n = 5), medical diagnoses ( n = 2), cerebral palsy ( n = 1) and childhood apraxia of speech ( n = 1); 5 children did not have a diagnosis, but were described as being “slow talking”, having “learning difficulties” or the response was “don’t know”. Two or more diagnoses were reported for 20% ( n = 7) of the 0–6 group, which included: ASD ( n = 5), cerebral palsy ( n = 1), and a genetic disorder ( n = 1). Twenty-three (40%) children were of school-age. Eighteen (31%) were in the 7–12 year age group, with

learn to identify AAC system features and how use them effectively. Effective use of AAC will foster language skills, providing the building blocks for social and educational participation (Cress & Marvin, 2003). The move to an individual-based funding model through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) reinforces the need for families to also receive information about the benefits of AAC given their role as key advocates for AAC support (McNaughton et al., 2019; Thill, 2015). Arguably, informed families are instrumental in realising the NDIS intention to enable people living with disability to exercise choice and control over the services and supports they receive (National Disability Insurance Scheme Act, 2013); however, recent reports of NDIS funding plans failing to meet participant needs suggests that parents may lack this knowledge (Michael, 2019). Kids Chat 2 You (KC2Y) was a capacity-building project providing education to key stakeholders who support children (0–18 years) with complex communication needs. Although speech-language pathologists (SLPs), educators, and therapists attended KC2Y services, the focus of this study was family members. KC2Y was developed in response to findings from a pilot study in which the provision of customised low-tech aids to Victorian children was evaluated (Johnson, Lyon, Navaretti, & Burn, 2017). The pilot results indicated the need for children to access customised communication aids, with recommendations made for additional supports, such as education and instruction to ensure successful AAC implementation. KC2Y SLPs visited all Victorian regions either at the time of or prior to the NDIS roll-out in each area. KC2Y provided multiple supports to attendees, including a 2.5 h workshop, 1.5 h individual information consultations, and low-tech AAC and KWS resources (Scope, 2018). The workshops were held on the same day as, or day prior to the individual consultation. Workshop content included (a) addressing common misconceptions that impact uptake and use of AAC, (b) an introduction to a range of low-tech AAC aids and KWS information, (c) information on NDIS funding of communication aids and SLP supports, and (d) information on local services and online resources. In the 1.5 h individual information consultations, KC2Y SLPs provided more detailed information, individualised to each child’s situation. Consultations varied, but primarily included identifying communication goals for the child, identifying opportunities for AAC use, and modelling of low-tech communication aids with the child. Families frequently attended consultations with their SLP. Where appropriate, those who attended a consultation were offered one or more non-customised low-tech communication aids, such as a KWS lanyard or an app that allowed them to create their own low-tech communication aids. Some participants who attended consultations later received a customised low-tech communication aid: for example, Book About Me, timetable, task schedule, or community request cards (Bloomberg, West & Johnson, 2004). KC2Y SLPs frequently provided a letter for families to take with them to the NDIS planning meeting. The aim of this study is to explore changes in the uptake of AAC following KC2Y and consider NDIS funding implications. Method Approval for the research was obtained from Scope and La Trobe University Human Research Ethics Committees, HREC: Scope 113/18.

Alison Heppell (top), Jasmin Prewett (centre) and Teresa Iacono

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JCPSLP Volume 21, Number 3 2019

Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology