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Closing the Research-to-Practice Gap in Autism: A Professional Practice Intervention Pilot Study for Increasing Use of Evidence-Based Practice.

Purpose: Implementation science is a field aimed at improving uptake of research into practice. Behavior change techniques are procedures aimed at changing behavior. Clinical speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have reported barriers to translating research into pediatric autism communication servic...

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Published in:American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology Vol. 34; no. 5; pp. 2564 - 2586
Main Authors: Sandham, Victoria, Hill, A. E., Armstrong, R., Hinchliffe, F.
Format: glossary research tables/charts Journal Article
Published: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Sep2025
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      jtl: American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
      issn: 10580360
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    pubinfo:
      dt: Sep2025
      vid: 34
      iid: 5
      pid: 42
      pub: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
      place: Rockville, Maryland
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        187737866
        187737866
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        10.1044/2025_AJSLP-25-00018
        187737866
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        atl: Closing the Research-to-Practice Gap in Autism: A Professional Practice Intervention Pilot Study for Increasing Use of Evidence-Based Practice.
      aug:
        au:
          Sandham, Victoria
          Hill, A. E.
          Armstrong, R.
          Hinchliffe, F.
        affil: School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
      sug:
        subj:
          Autism Spectrum Disorder Therapy
          Health Care Delivery
          Professional Practice, Evidence-Based
          Speech-Language Pathologists Psychosocial Factors
          Research, Medical
          Human
          Male
          Female
          Child, Preschool
          Child
          Adolescence
          Adult
          Middle Age
          Queensland
          Pilot Studies
          Children with Disabilities
          Problem-Based Learning Methods
          Implementation Science
          Speech-Language Pathology Methods
          Behavior Therapy Methods
          Speech Physiology
          Work Environment
          Professional Practice
          Health Services Research
          Communication
          Multimethod Studies
          Australia
          Prospective Studies
          Action Research
          Community Health Services
          Conceptual Framework
          Thematic Analysis
          Interrater Reliability
          Motivation
          Motivational Interviewing
          Purposive Sample
          Checklists
          Descriptive Statistics
          Comparative Studies
          Data Analysis Software
          Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test
          Summated Rating Scaling
          Post Hoc Analysis
          Education, Continuing
          Program Evaluation Methods
          Child, Preschool: 2-5 years
          Child: 6-12 years
          Adolescent: 13-18 years
          Adult: 19-44 years
          Middle Aged: 45-64 years
          Male
          Female
      ab: Purpose: Implementation science is a field aimed at improving uptake of research into practice. Behavior change techniques are procedures aimed at changing behavior. Clinical speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have reported barriers to translating research into pediatric autism communication services. This study piloted an intervention that integrated implementation science and behavior change techniques to improve evidence-based practice (EBP) use in SLP pediatric autism communication services. The aim was to design and evaluate a professional practice intervention to improve EBP use by pediatric autism SLPs working in Australia. Method: This pilot study used participatory action research methods. It recruited participants (N = 27) to small online communities of practice (CoPs), where participants chose an individualized EBP professional practice goal, developed an action plan, and presented the outcome of their learning to their CoP. Convergent mixed-methods analysis was used to analyze the effectiveness of the intervention, and explanatory qualitative methods were used to analyze the mechanism for its effectiveness. Results: Participants' opportunity and capability for EBP use were significantly improved as a result of the intervention. Quantitative results indicated sustainment but not further improvements in EBP in the 3 months following intervention. Building participant research capacity through experiential learning positively influenced sustainability and scalability of EBP use. The intervention was scaled to a novel context, without direct researcher involvement, and was shown to be effective in this new workplace setting. Conclusion: A coproduced online CoP is a model that was shown to improve SLP EBP use and should be considered for future EBP research translation projects. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.29613596
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        glossary
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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