Registered qualitative evidence synthesis protocol on AAC use in school (PROSPERO CRD420251229480)¶

Element · All elements
Evidence · 4 claims (4 for) · 1 study (1 review), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 4 claims rest on one study

Description¶

A protocol for a qualitative evidence synthesis (QES) that will identify, review and collate findings from existing qualitative research on stakeholder experiences of AAC use for children with communication needs in classrooms. The protocol states: "A QES methodology involves a comprehensive systematic search of the research literature to identify, review and collate findings from existing qualitative research". It is registered on PROSPERO (CRD420251229480), guided by the SPIDER tool, and will analyse qualitative and mixed-methods studies published from June 1994 onward. Findings are intended to inform development of pathways supporting AAC implementation in schools.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Comprehensive searches of PubMed, CINAHL Complete, EMBASE, EBSCO and Scopus plus manual grey-literature searching
• Independent dual screening in Covidence with a third-author consensus procedure
• CASP quality appraisal and GRADE-CERQual assessment of confidence in synthesis findings

Constraints¶

• Restricted to English-language publications, which a reviewer notes may omit important qualitative AAC studies published in other languages
• No studies will be excluded based on quality; appraisal is used to identify methodological shortcomings

Target Learners¶

• School children aged 3–18 years who use AAC
• Parents, caregivers, educators and healthcare professionals supporting them

Target Learning Goals¶

• Understanding experiences of AAC implementation in classrooms
• Developing pathways to support AAC implementation for children with communication needs

Affordances¶

• Npt Four Domains Aac Classroom Normalisation

Claims¶

• Many children with communication needs who require AAC lack access to appropriate supports, and embedding AAC interventions in the classroom is challenging [+W]
• AAC users report device useability difficulties, high cognitive load when learning communication systems, and poor physical and sensory access [+W]
• Parental factors including emotional unreadiness, feeling overwhelmed, and unrealistic expectations can contribute to AAC device abandonment [+W]
• Systems-level barriers to school AAC use include limited clinical expertise, need–system mismatch, funding difficulty, and unfamiliar communication partners [+W]

Related Elements¶

• Public and patient involvement (PPI) panel embedded across all stages of the AAC evidence synthesis

Examples¶

• Combine inductive content analysis with deductive NPT-domain coding, supported by reflexive journalling and peer supervision
• Use SPIDER to structure inclusion criteria and search strings for a qualitative evidence synthesis of AAC in education
• Appraise qualitative studies with CASP and grade synthesis confidence with GRADE-CERQual, without excluding studies on quality grounds
• Use this methodological baseline to target improvements in interpreting risk of bias, reporting study funding, and citing protocols in systematic reviews

Key Sources¶

• Byrnes C, Moran G, Clarke MT, Caron J, Smith EM, Galvin R, Gallagher AL. (2026). Experiences of Augmentative and Alternative Communication use in School: A Qualitative Evidence Synthesis Protocol. HRB Open Research. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13550906/