Does Seeing an SLP More Often Improve AAC Outcomes in Teens?

Focus

SLPs and families alike often ask how much ongoing therapy contact actually matters once an AAC users reaches their teen years. With caseloads stretched thin and service models varying widely by setting, understanding whether more frequent SLP contact tracks with better communication outcomes gives SLPs a concrete data point to bring into caseload and service-frequency conversations.

Respondents

This segment includes ages 13-19 from a larger AAC dataset, filtered to the 310 caregivers who reported how often their teen sees an SLP (More than 1x/week, 1x/week, 1x/month, less than 1x/month, or no longer working with an SLP). The broader teen segment is 75.5% male, 24.5% female, with Autistic Disorder, Mixed Receptive-Expressive Language Disorder, and Expressive Language Disorder as the top three diagnoses. All respondents use a QuickTalker Freestyle device across a range of software (I.e. TouchChat, Proloquo2Go, TD Snap, LAMP Words for Life).

Key Findings

• Frustration and challenging behavior improve most with weekly-plus SLP contact. 68.3% of teens seen more than once a week showed decreased frustration, compared to just 30.4% of teens no longer working with an SLP, who were also the only group where “increased” frustration outpaced “decreased.”
• Requesting shows the clearest dose-response pattern. 84.6% of teens seen more than once a week showed increased requesting, compared to only 47.8% of teens no longer working with an SLP.
• Expressing feelings and asking/answering questions follow the same pattern. 61.5% of weekly-plus teens showed increased use of expressing feelings (vs. 26.1% of teens with no SLP), and 67.3% showed increased asking/answering questions (vs. 26.1% with no SLP).
• Across every outcome measured, teens with no current SLP support showed the a lower amount of gains, including the highest rates of “not yet using this function” for skills like expressing feelings.

Takeaways

This data offers SLPs a clear, teen-specific talking point in advocating for service frequency and caseload decisions: consistent SLP contact tracks with meaningfully better outcomes across communication function, not just one isolated skill. For teens who have stepped away from active SLP support, whether due to service gaps, funding lapses, or family capacity, this data suggests they may be missing meaningful language growth, not just routine check-ins. This is a pattern worth flagging in IEP and caseload discussions, particularly for teens at risk of losing consistent SLP contact during the transition out of school-based services. It’s also worth noting this correlation likely runs in both directions: teens who are struggling more may be prioritized for more frequent contact, and families who disengage from SLP support may also be facing broader barriers (funding, time, motivation) that affect AAC use more generally, not just therapy attendance.

Methodology

Data was collected via caregiver-completed survey across multiple waves in 2025-26, drawn from a larger longitudinal AAC outcomes dataset. This analysis is limited to the 310 respondents who reported SLP contact frequency; findings are correlational, not causal, and cannot rule out reverse causation (i.e., outcomes driving service frequency rather than the reverse). Several subgroup comparisons involved smaller cell sizes, which should temper confidence in exact percentages while supporting the overall directional pattern. Data is caregiver-reported rather than derived from standardized clinical assessment, and all respondents use the QuickTalker Freestyle device. Findings should be generalized with caution.

References

Brock, K. L., LaBranch, E., Cummings, A., Ogiela, D., & Binger, C. (2025). AAC business as usual: Clinical practice of school-based speech-language pathologists. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups. Note: data describing business-as-usual practices for individuals with language disorders far surpasses what is available for children with complex communication needs, leaving this survey as a starting point for clinical decisions until further quantitative research is conducted with children who use AAC systems. ResearchGate

Kristina N. Blaiser et al. Reported Barriers to Augmentative and Alternative Communication Service Delivery and Learning Preferences Among Speech-Language Pathologists. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology (2023). Notes the primary barriers to AAC service provision are knowledge, caseload, and time, reinforcing the real-world service-frequency constraints this data speaks to. ASHA Publications