INTRODUCTION:

Welcome to the Support Communication Using Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) course. This course only includes a challenge assessment designed to assess your knowledge and skills required to demonstrate competence in supporting people to communicate effectively using AAC, in ways that promote participation, choice and inclusion across everyday settings.

Supporting communication using AAC involves understanding the principles of communication support and the purpose of AAC in enabling people to express needs, preferences, decisions and ideas when speech is limited or not used. It requires knowledge of different AAC systems and strategies, including unaided, low-tech and high-tech approaches, and the ability to recognise when each is appropriate based on the person’s needs and contexts. The assessment will explore your understanding of communication rights, autonomy and consent, and how these guide respectful AAC support that strengthens the person’s voice rather than replacing it.

The course assessment focuses on your ability to work from individualised documentation and collaborate with the broader support team. You will be required to demonstrate how you interpret communication plans and AAC goals in individualised support documentation, work with speech pathology and other team members to confirm AAC requirements and roles, and identify the person’s communication strengths, preferences, triggers and barriers. The assessment will also examine how you prepare the environment to support communication, including managing sensory needs, distractions, positioning and access, and how you select and set up AAC tools and materials such as symbols, boards, devices, apps and access methods.

This assessment will confirm your ability to support practical AAC use in real-life situations. You will need to show how you support the person to use AAC in everyday routines and real-life contexts, model AAC use, and apply supportive communication partner strategies such as prompting, allowing wait time and confirming meaning. The assessment will examine how you facilitate interactions with others using AAC, including family, peers, staff and community members, and how you troubleshoot common AAC issues such as communication breakdowns, device access challenges, vocabulary limitations and engagement barriers.

You will also be assessed on how you maintain and manage AAC resources responsibly, including maintaining, cleaning, storing and updating AAC equipment and resources in line with organisational requirements. This includes monitoring progress and documenting AAC use, outcomes and communication changes accurately and objectively, and applying legal, ethical and organisational requirements such as privacy, confidentiality, duty of care, inclusion, cultural safety and role boundaries when supporting AAC communication.

By successfully completing this course assessment, you will have demonstrated that you can interpret and apply the core requirements of supporting communication using AAC, including understanding AAC systems, upholding communication rights and consent, working from communication plans, preparing environments and resources, modelling and facilitating AAC use in daily life, troubleshooting issues and maintaining accurate documentation—confirming your readiness to support inclusive, person-centred communication in your workplace.

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS ASSESSMENT:

This course assessment is based on the following topics:

1.    Principles of communication support and the purpose of AAC in enabling participation and choice

2.    Types of AAC systems and strategies (unaided, low-tech and high-tech) and when each is appropriate

3.    Understanding communication rights, autonomy and consent when supporting AAC use

4.    Interpreting communication plans and AAC goals in individualised support documentation

5.    Working with speech pathology and the support team to confirm AAC requirements and roles

6.    Identifying the person’s communication strengths, preferences, triggers and barriers to communication

7.    Preparing the environment to support communication (sensory needs, distractions, positioning and access)

8.    Selecting and setting up AAC tools and materials (symbols, boards, devices, apps and access methods)

9.    Supporting the person to use AAC in everyday routines and real-life contexts

10. Modelling AAC use and applying supportive communication partner strategies (prompting, wait time, confirmation)

11. Facilitating interactions with others using AAC, including family, peers, staff and community members

12. Troubleshooting common AAC issues (breakdowns, device access, vocabulary limitations and engagement barriers)

13. Maintaining, cleaning, storing and updating AAC equipment and resources in line with organisational requirements

14. Monitoring progress and documenting AAC use, outcomes and communication changes accurately and objectively

15. Applying legal, ethical and organisational requirements (privacy, confidentiality, duty of care, inclusion, cultural safety and role boundaries) when supporting AAC communication

ABOUT THIS ASSESSMENT-ONLY COURSE:

This Assessment-Only course is designed for experienced professionals who already have a solid understanding of this subject area and simply wish to verify and document their existing knowledge. Instead of working through learning resources, you will go straight to a quiz that assesses your current competency in this field.

ASSESSMENT FORMAT & SUBMISSION ATTEMPTS:

This course assessment consists of a 20-question multiple-choice & true-or-false quiz with unlimited submission attempts during your enrolment period.

ESTIMATED COMPLETION TIME & VALIDITY:

The typical time to complete this assessment is approximately 10-15 minutes. Your enrolment is Valid for 12 Months from the date of purchase.

CERTIFICATION:

Upon successful completion of this course assessment, you will receive a customised digital “Certificate of Completion”.