A cluster-RCT deploying online video teacher training to improve reading skills in students with intellectual disabilities using augmentative and alternative communication: A study protocol.
This upcoming cluster trial will test whether online teacher videos can deliver AAC-boosted reading lessons as well as in-person coaching.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Bilet-Mossige et al. (2026) wrote the plan for a big cluster-RCT. Schools, not kids, will be picked by chance for the training or control group.
Teachers will watch short online videos that show how to run "Reading for all" lessons. The lessons mix phonics with AAC supports like symbols or devices.
Students have intellectual disability or autism and use AAC. The team will track reading scores for two years to see if the online course beats usual coaching.
What they found
Nothing yet. This paper is only the recipe. The cooks are still in the kitchen.
How this fits with other research
Klein et al. (2024) gives hope. Four teachers took a short in-person AAC course and later used more symbols and waited longer for answers. Their small study says brief training can move teacher habits, so Marthe’s online videos might work too.
Salazar et al. (2021) already showed that teacher-led phonics helps kids with ID read better. Marthe keeps the phonics part and layers on AAC tools, extending the same idea to non-speaking students.
Sureshkumar et al. (2024) used telehealth video to teach kids, not teachers. Their students mastered first-aid steps through short clips and kept the skills for a month. The success of video-only teaching boosts the odds that Marthe’s teacher videos will also stick without live coaches.
Why it matters
If the trial wins, schools can train whole districts without flying in experts. You could assign a three-hour video series during in-service day and give teachers ready-made reading lessons that include AAC. Watch for the results—if positive, swap costly on-site workshops for a playlist and free up your travel budget for other needs.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: This cluster-randomized controlled trial aims to investigate the effects of an online video training platform versus in-person tutoring designed for teachers' to support the improvement of early reading skills for students with intellectual disabilities and/or Autism Spectrum Disorder who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). METHODS: The reading development of children with intellectual disabilities using AAC will be evaluated and investigated in a cluster randomized controlled trial. Schools will be randomly assigned to two groups. Teachers in the intervention group will be exposed to an online video training platform that provides tutoring on the reading intervention "Reading for all." Teachers in the control group will receive the same intervention through in-person tutoring. DISCUSSION: Many children with intellectual disabilities who use AAC face several barriers to acquiring literacy. Research describes low expectations and competence, as well as a lack of evidence-based reading programs designed to meet these needs. The generalizability of prior findings to different populations of children who use AAC is limited. Furthermore, few studies have examined the effectiveness of educator-delivered interventions in school settings. Video training allows teachers to flexibly initiate reading interventions across various times and locations, thereby reducing travel time and in-person tutoring. Moreover, its adaptability to various settings facilitates the testing of its generalizability. Online video training can provide a sustainable means of delivering interventions and provide ongoing access to interventions after the study period. The online training deployed in this trial will contribute to the field of special education by leveraging a powerful, research-driven quantitative approach. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT06766188 Registered September 2025, version 2.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2026 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2026.105250