How to Hire an AAC/AT Specialist

School district administrators, this article is for you! You’ll learn how to find and hire a capable AAC or AT Specialist. First, let’s start with some questions you may have about these roles.

What is AAC?

AAC stands for Augmentative/Alternative Communication. Someone might need AAC to add on (“augment”) to their natural speech, or they might need it if they have no ability to produce natural speech (“alternative”). AAC devices can include low-tech/lite-tech, mid-tech, and high-tech options, and most users need a combination of several of these.

What does an AAC Specialist do?

AAC Specialists in the school setting do all of the following:

Evaluations: AAC Specialists accept and process referrals from IEP team members. There are various types of AAC assessment which may be required, including applications for insurance funding. This means AAC Specialists have to be knowledgeable about a variety of agencies and maintain good relationships with local organizations and company representatives.
Device Recommendations: AAC Specialists make recommendations for AAC device purchases and may be involved in inventory management and technical support. For this reason, they need to be familiar with many kinds of devices, and they must be continuously learning about new apps and technologies.
IEP Team Support: AAC Specialists provide support to the entire IEP team (including parents, teachers, paraprofessionals, SLPs, and others) through training, coaching, and collaboration. Experienced school-based AAC Specialists can even provide insights into curriculum, staff development needs, and overall program development.

Are AAC Specialists the same as Speech-Language Pathologists?

Not quite! The SLP scope of practice is very broad, and not all SLPs have experience working with AAC users. Most AAC Specialists start as SLPs, but then they obtain additional training in order to work with students who need alternative methods of communication.

What does an AT Specialist do?

An AT Specialist works with assistive technology - devices that a person with a disability uses to make their life easier in some way.

Assistive technology can address a wide variety of needs, including support with vision, hearing, computer access, reading, writing, math, executive function, behavior, gross motor/mobility, fine motor, and/or communication (that’s AAC!)

AT Specialists (fortunately!) do not have to be experts in all of these areas. But they should…

Understand the range of purposes for AT , and be able to list some examples of technologies in each area.
Have excellent research skills and creativity. Why? Because AT doesn’t have to be “off the shelf,” it can also be modified, or even built from scratch.
Work as part of an interdisciplinary team to identify student needs, consider possible solutions (which may include technology, or may include other strategies or accommodations), trial them with students, and document them in a student’s IEP.
Provide recommendations for AT device purchases, manage inventory, and provide technical support.
Provide insights into curriculum, universal design for learning, staff development needs, and overall program development.

Like AAC specialists, AT Specialists provide support to the entire IEP team (including parents, teachers, paraprofessionals, SLPs, and other professionals) through training, coaching, and collaboration.

Does an AT specialist just mean someone who is good at technology?

Nope! An important clarification: AT Specialists are not the same as EdTech Specialists, nor are they the same as IT.

Assistive Technology Specialists most often start out as a Special Education Teacher, Speech-Language Pathologist, or Occupational Therapist. They then go on to develop expertise in supporting students who need assistive technology.

Interviewing an AAC/AT Specialist Candidate

Who should be on the interview panel for an AAC/AT Specialist?

Interview panel members may be administrators, teachers, or other specialists (e.g., OT, PT, etc.). When thinking about who to invite, try to have team members who can represent multiple parts of your Special Education department (e.g., Mild/Mod, Resource, ESN).

Of course, if you have an AAC/AT specialist already on the team, they’ll be able to provide valuable perspective for the panel. For your AAC candidates in particular, make sure to include at least one SLP and at least one ESN teacher.

What should you look for when hiring an AAC/AT Specialist?

I surveyed other school-based AAC/AT specialists and asked this question. Many participants highlighted that AAC/AT specialists must take the initiative to constantly refine and improve their practice. One comment stood out to me:

“The AAC/AT specialist needs to have more than just technical proficiency. They need to have effective leadership, diplomacy, communication skills, and an understanding of barriers present in educational settings.”

What interview questions should you ask when hiring for an AAC/AT Specialist role?

To help you find someone with the right knowledge, skills, and personal qualities, try a few standard interview questions like:

Tell me about your experience working with kids with disabilities.
What are your biggest strengths?
What is something you would like to learn more about within your field?
Why are you interested in this district/position?

Additionally, AAC/AT-specific questions could include:

Describe the capacity-building model and the expert model of service delivery, and explain how you would support our district through capacity building.
What AAC apps and devices are you most familiar with? (For AAC Specialists)
What kinds of AT do you find you recommend most often? (For AT Specialists)
If you were going to plan a staff training or professional development about AAC/AT, what would that look like? (Potential follow-up question: How would you ensure staff members applied what they learned?)
If you were going to plan a parent training or coaching session, what would that look like? (Potential follow-up question: What are some things that you think are important when developing relationships with families?)

How many AAC/AT Specialists does my district need? (Do districts need to have an AAC/AT Specialist?)

Yes, you absolutely need at least one AAC specialist and at least one AT Specialist, at least part-time, no matter the size of your district.

Schools must not only provide AAC/AT devices, but also AAC/AT services. In a world with rapidly advancing technology, AAC/AT Specialists are a crucial support for your SpEd team.

Be sure to have separate job descriptions for each role: one for your AAC Specialist(s) and one for your AT Specialist(s). Some folks are qualified to do both, but separating out the caseload/workload numbers will help you see where your real needs are for coverage.

The number of AAC/AT specialists that you need depends on several factors, but stay tuned for part 2 of this article, where I’ll have more specific advice about caseload vs. workload size, and tips to find and retain the qualified AAC/AT specialist(s) that you need!