SCREENING CLIENTS FOR AN AUGMENTATIVE AND ALTERNATIVE COMMUNICATION CLINIC - A MULTITRAIT-MULTIMETHOD APPROACH

The aim of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) services i s to support, enhance, or provide alternative methods of communication for individuals who are not independent verbal communicators. However , relatively little evaluative research has been conducted with adult AAC users. The establishment of Freeport Hospital's AAC Clinic for adu lts included the development of questionnaires to gather information f or the selection and provision of services for its clients. The presen t study addresses the issue reliability and validity of three novel me asures contained within the AAC Clinic's Background Information Questi onnaire using a multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) design. Results from thi s evaluation are discussed in terms of clinical application and policy development.