Abstract
Speech-language pathologists (SLPs), special education teachers (SETs), and occupational therapists (OTs) are all expected to encounter individuals with complex communication needs, who need for Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) (Costigan & Light, 2010). This study aimed at investigating special education student teachers' knowledge of AAC, and its relation to their academic levels and unique-specializations. To achieve this objective, the researcher administered a ten questions test on 30 participants all of whom met the study including criteria. The means and standard deviations relevant to their responses to the test were counted and then analyzed by means of Analysis of Covariance ANCOVA. Results of ANCOVA haven't shown any statistically significant difference in the participants' knowledge of AAC attributed to their academic levels and unique-specializations. The percentage of fully accurate responses of all participants to the ten tests' questions was 2.66%. This result suggests an inadequacy of participants' knowledge of AAC and a dire need for relevant education and training. Results and implications for future research and practices are discussed.