"I've had a love-hate, I mean mostly hate relationship with these PODD books": parent perceptions of how they and their child contributed to AAC rejection and abandonment.

Analysis revealed four themes which captured family factors contributing to the rejection and abandonment of AAC systems: (a) parents lacked the emotional readiness and resilience to implement AAC, (b) implementing AAC was extraneous work for parents, (c) the child did not use their AAC system for communication, and (d) parents were not satisfied with the AAC system itself. SLPs must be aware of and account for these factors to enable the successful introduction of AAC systems. Implications for rehabilitation SLPs may increase the acceptance of AAC systems by working with a multidisciplinary team to support parents through their grief and implement strategies to build their resilience in the face of adversity. SLPs need to acknowledge the existing demands on parents when planning AAC intervention and support parents to integrate AAC systems into their daily routines. SLPs must carefully consider the child's motivation, sensory profile, and physical abilities as well as parent preferences when prescribing an AAC system. These considerations will give the child and parent the best opportunity for success with the system and consequently reward parents for the effort they have invested.