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Augment Altern Commun 2022 Apr 14:1-10. Epub 2022 Apr 14.

Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences and Department of Special Education, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Multilingual individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) often shift between language environments and speakers of different languages; thus, code-switching (or alternating between languages or dialects within or across contexts) becomes necessary for effective communication. Recently, AAC product developers have responded to this need by building multilingual AAC systems; however, research in multilingualism and AAC is lacking. In this paper, we discuss theoretical and practical implications for research related to code-switching using aided AAC. Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2022 Apr 14:1-12. Epub 2022 Apr 14.

Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.

This survey study examined augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) practices reported by early intervention speech-language pathologists (SLPs) across the United States ( = 376). The study examined (a) types of AAC that SLPs reported using (i.e. Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2022 Apr 13:1-14. Epub 2022 Apr 13.

Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.

Key word signing, an unaided augmentative, and alternative communication (AAC) system is commonly used by children with Down syndrome who attend mainstream primary schools. To ensure the successful use of key word signing within a mainstream environment, a meaningful, contextually appropriate sign vocabulary must be available to all communication partners. The aim of this study was to develop a core school-based key word signing vocabulary to facilitate effective communication between children with Down syndrome and their communication partners in the first year of mainstream primary school. Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2022 Mar 25:1-12. Epub 2022 Mar 25.

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Nashville, TN, USA.

Special education teachers are essential team members in the provision of services to students with complex communication needs. Professional competencies related to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) practices have been outlined for special education teachers as part of their professional standards. Yet, it is unclear to what extent these professionals have knowledge and skills in this area. Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2022 Mar 17:1-14. Epub 2022 Mar 17.

Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of interface display and respondent group on listener attitudes toward and perceived communicative competence of persons with aphasia. The Attitudes Toward Nonspeaking Persons scale and the Communicative Competence Scale was used to measure listener attitudes and communicative competence, respectively. A 2 × 3 mixed factorial design was used. Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2022 Mar 15:1-12. Epub 2022 Mar 15.

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.

Currently, a small number of studies discuss augmentative and alternative (AAC) interventions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The primary purpose of this scoping review was to summarize the current evidence base on communication-based interventions and partner training in LMICs, to explore and identify gaps in the AAC evidence base and guide future research. A total of 18 studies were identified. Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2022 Mar 11:1-14. Epub 2022 Mar 11.

Disability and Community Inclusion, College of Nursing & Health Sciences & Caring Futures Institute, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.

The aims of this study were to investigate the lived experiences of people with complex communication needs in developing romantic and sexual relationships, and identify and explore barriers and facilitators they encountered in pursuing these relationships. For the study, nine participants were interviewed. All were at least 21-years-old, used augmentative and alternative communication, and had physical and communication disabilities since childhood. Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2021 12 13;37(4):261-273. Epub 2022 Jan 13.

Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.

Nonvocal alert patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting often struggle to communicate due to inaccessible or unavailable tools for augmentative and alternative communication. Innovation of a hand-operated non-touchscreen communication system for nonvocal ICU patients was guided by design concepts including speech output, simplicity, and flexibility. A novel communication tool, the Manually Operated Communication System (MOCS), was developed for use in intensive care settings with patients unable to speak. Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2021 12 8;37(4):241-250. Epub 2022 Jan 8.

Department of Clinical Speech and Language Studies, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.

Significant advances have been made in interventions to maintain communication and personhood for individuals with neurodegenerative conditions. One innovation is Message Banking, a clinical approach first developed at Boston Children's Hospital (BCH). This paper outlines the Message Banking process as implemented at BCH, which includes the option of "Double Dipping," where banked messages are mined to develop personalized synthesized voices. Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2021 12 30;37(4):251-260. Epub 2021 Dec 30.

Department of Language and Cognition, University College London, London, UK.

Conversational repair has been found to play a fundamental role in the acquisition of language. This paper describes existing research on conversational repair and its relationship to language learning, whether a first language or a second language, as well as its relevance to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). A case is made for incorporating prompts to repair in conversation-based language interventions with children learning to use AAC. Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2021 12 30;37(4):229-240. Epub 2021 Dec 30.

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.

Families are the most significant communication partners for an individual with complex communication needs. Even though family-centered approaches are recommended to support augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) services for an individual, it is difficult to establish a successful plan that fits each individual's family. A framework for practitioners is proposed to effectively obtain and understand information about a family's unique dynamics as part of service delivery to positively impact AAC device uptake and long-term use. Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2021 12 29;37(4):217-228. Epub 2021 Dec 29.

School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Pacific University, Forest Grove, OR, USA.

Shared reading is an important context for the development of communication, language, and literacy skills in young children. Research conducted with children who require augmentative and alternative communication has indicated that dialogic reading techniques utilized in shared reading can aid in the development of communication skills. One area that has not been investigated is which words children should have access to when engaging in these types of activities. Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2021 09 20;37(3):180-193. Epub 2021 Oct 20.

Department of Communication Disorders, Southern Connecticut University, New Haven, CT, USA.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of an embedded naturalistic intervention for teaching augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) application responses to three preschool-aged males with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Parents were taught to embed opportunities for their child to communicate with a grid-based AAC application during every-day routines such as play or mealtime. Communication targets included requesting objects using two-step taxonomic navigational responses, and requesting assistance, rejecting items, or making social comments/responses using a two-step message-strip response. Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2021 09 9;37(3):206-216. Epub 2021 Sep 9.

Department of Special Education, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.

This article extends Dr. Bob Remington's call for collaborations between those supporting behavioral approaches and those supporting more natural developmental approaches to beginning communication intervention. This article expands areas previously discussed by Dr. Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2021 09 6;37(3):194-205. Epub 2021 Sep 6.

College of Community Innovation & Education, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA.

Prevalence studies in the AAC discipline are fundamental to establishing funding, instructional, and research priorities. These data inform policy-makers on the allocation of clinical and educational services, help prioritize AAC pre-service and in-service trainings, and support AAC research grant applications. A survey study was designed to (a) provide prevalence estimates of school-age students who have highly unintelligible speech, (b) describe the demographic makeup of these students, and (c) describe their access to AAC. Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2021 09 2;37(3):155-167. Epub 2021 Aug 2.

Speech-Language Pathology Department, Munroe-Meyer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed substantial gaps in communication access for patients across hospital settings. With the rise in positive cases globally, the need for communication enhancement strategies, including augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), has emerged as a critical need. Many resources exist that describe AAC assessment and intervention processes in the acute care setting; however, AAC service provision in the COVID-19 pandemic is fraught with many unanticipated challenges. Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2021 09 9;37(3):168-179. Epub 2021 Jul 9.

Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA, USA.

For this study, 11 children with moderate to severe autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were given directives containing prepositions in three cue conditions: (a) spoken alone, (b) a short video clip along with spoken cues, and (c) a sequence of three graphic symbols accompanied by spoken cues. Participants followed directives significantly more accurately with the video clip than with spoken cues only, and significantly more accurately with spoken cues only relative to the sequence of graphic symbols. Results suggest that the short video clip along with spoken cues may be an optimal mode for enhancing learners' ability to follow directives containing prepositions. Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2021 06 9;37(2):113-128. Epub 2021 Jul 9.

School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Central Florida, Orlando, USA.

Three parents of preschool-aged children with Down syndrome using mobile augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technologies to communicate participated indirect, systematic communication-partner instruction. Intervention featured an adaptation of the ImPAACT Program (Improving Partner Applications of Augmentative Communication Techniques; Kent-Walsh, Binger, & Malani, 2010) that included six face-to-face and three telepractice sessions. Parents learned to use the evidence-based Read-Ask-Answer (RAA) instructional strategy (Kent-Walsh, Binger, & Hasham, 2010) during shared storybook reading with their children. Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2021 06 12;37(2):129-140. Epub 2021 Jun 12.

Department of Special Education and Child Development, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC, USA.

Paraeducators play an important role in assisting teachers and other professionals to support students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including delivering positive behavioral supports to those students who engage in persistent challenging behavior. The purpose of this multiple baseline design across participants study was to support paraeducators to implement functional communication training (FCT) to address challenging behavior among three students with ASD who used augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Paraeducators implemented FCT with high levels of fidelity after participating in an initial training session and follow-up coaching and generally found the initial training and coaching strategies to be effective and feasible. Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2021 06 7;37(2):87-101. Epub 2021 Jun 7.

Faculty of Psychological and Educational Sciences, Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

The aim of this study was to develop a coding scheme that enables researchers and practitioners to conduct a detailed analysis of the communicative behavior of young children with significant cognitive and motor developmental delays. Currently, there is a paucity of methods to do conduct such an analysis. For the study, video observations of three different scenarios from 38 children with significant cognitive and motor developmental delays aged between 12 and 54 months, were used. Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2021 06 7;37(2):141-153. Epub 2021 Jun 7.

National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.

This study examined whether partner reauditorization affected the attitudes reported by young adults toward a child who communicated using nonelectronic AAC. The study also examined preferences for the way the AAC system was used (i.e. Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2021 06 7;37(2):75-86. Epub 2021 Jun 7.

Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.

This study explored the interactional aspects of text messaging on mobile phones for youth with complex communication needs. A qualitative case study design was used to investigate aspects such as reasons, place, timing of communication, content and communication partners. Data were gathered from seven youth with complex communication needs (primary participants) and one communication partner for each youth (secondary participants). Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2021 06 21;37(2):102-112. Epub 2021 May 21.

Disability and Community Inclusion, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Australia.

Mental health and wellbeing are foundational in human interaction and life satisfaction. Persons with complex communication needs are at risk of reduced mental health and wellbeing. The aim of this project was to identify the facilitators and barriers that individuals with complex communication needs experience when attending to their mental health and wellbeing. Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2021 03 10;37(1):1-13. Epub 2021 Apr 10.

Department of Special and Early Education, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA.

Special education teachers are often responsible for training their staff how to support children with autism spectrum disorder in their classrooms. In addition to academic and behavioral interventions, paraeducators also need to be prepared to support students with complex communication needs. This study was designed to investigate the effects of a paraeducator-implemented communication intervention in a public school. Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2021 03 7;37(1):14-24. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Department of Special Education, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions (NDBI) have been shown to facilitate the development of spontaneous language in individuals with speech and language impairment. Several meta-analyses have reported a small number of studies that utilized naturalistic teaching approaches combined with augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) interventions to develop requesting skills in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to determine whether a natural language paradigm (NLP) and time delay is effective in expanding vocal and augmented requesting skills in three children with ASD between the ages of 4 and 6 years. Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2021 03 17;37(1):25-38. Epub 2021 Feb 17.

Special Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.

Many factors impact intervention implementation in everyday practice, including the social validity of these interventions. As a way of addressing social validity, this study aimed to understand the perspectives of multiple stakeholders of school-aged children and adolescents who use aided and unaided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) on their key intervention priorities for these children. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 parents and professionals, which included special education teachers, paraprofessionals, and speech-language pathologists (SLPs). Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2021 03 13;37(1):52-63. Epub 2021 Feb 13.

Curriculum and Instruction, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, NC, USA.

Understanding typical preschoolers' perceptions of communication modes could help guide augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention for preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study explored the perceptions of 16 typically developing preschoolers toward an (a) AAC application (app) on a tablet, (b) picture exchange using a binder with printed Picture Communication Symbols, and (c) prelinguistic communication used by a preschooler with ASD in a series of videos the preschoolers watched. Using a multi-method design, the study implemented both quantitative (rank ordering and preference selection) and qualitative (interview) methodologies. Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2021 03 12;37(1):64-74. Epub 2021 Feb 12.

Joint Doctoral Program in Special Education, Department of Special Education, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, USA.

For children with complex communication needs in the early stages of language development, access to appropriate vocabulary provides a means for social interaction and participation, and the foundation for the acquisition of grammar and other language related skills. While numerous resources are available to support decision making for speakers of English, there is a pressing need to rapidly expand such resources for other languages. Spanish is the official language in 20 countries, and in other countries (e. Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2021 03 9;37(1):39-51. Epub 2021 Feb 9.

Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, USA.

This study investigated developmental memory capacity through picture span and feature binding. Participants included third grade students and college age adults with typical development. Picture span was used to assess working memory capacity when participants were asked to identify, locate, and sequence common visual-graphic symbols from experimental grid displays. Read More

Augment Altern Commun 2020 12 11;36(4):249-257. Epub 2021 Jan 11.

Fayetteville-Manlius Schools, Manlius, NY, USA.

Smart watches are discreet and wearable tools that may be repurposed to improve directive-following for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Specifically, a mentor can transmit just-in-time (JIT) visual supports (e.g. Read More