Augmentative and Alternative Communication最新文献

Every individual has a fundamental right to communicate and access equal opportunities to fully participate in society. However, this right may not be fully manifested for individuals with communication access needs especially those from underrepresented groups. This project had two aims, to determine 1) the specific experiences, challenges, and aspirations related to the cultural identities of people of color (POC) who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and 2) how AAC service providers and manufacturers can support POC AAC users in a culturally and linguistically responsive manner. We conducted an online, asynchronous focus group with seven participants over eight weeks. The participants' responses were coded qualitatively. Seven major themes were identified: AAC is a Culture, AAC System Features, Self-Identity as a Person of Color who uses AAC, Experience with Service Providers, Improvements to the Field of AAC, Racial Inequities in AAC Support, and Future Research. Suggestions are provided regarding how service providers and manufacturers can serve as better allies to support POC who use AAC.

In South Africa, many children with extensive support needs-including children who require AAC-are accommodated in care centers rather than the public schooling system. Caregivers employed at these centers need training in order to support children's communication using augmentative and alternative methods. A total of 29 center-based caregivers took part in this study. A single group pretest-posttest design was used to evaluate the effect of a 5-day training workshop on caregivers' ability to demonstrate and implement five AAC strategies. The effect of the workshop on caregivers' perceptions of their own skills as well as the social validity of the training were also evaluated. Results suggest that the workshop effectively taught caregivers to demonstrate the skills in a simulated roleplay situation. A proportion of caregivers also supplied video footage after the workshop that suggests the ability to implement the strategies in the care center contexts. Caregivers also perceived their own skills to have improved post workshop, and evaluated the training positively.

Participation is a fundamental human right, and being able to communicate is an essential component of participation in various life situations, such as at school, with peers, and in the community. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) interventions aim to facilitate communication and social interaction, independence, and participation in all aspects of life. The purpose of this study was to summarize and map the AAC intervention outcomes for children with complex communication needs onto the Family of Participation-Related Constructs (fPRC) framework. The scoping review identified 270 studies for inclusion, and the data gathered was extracted and mapped onto the fPRC framework. The results indicate that although many studies have reported on participation-related constructs such as activity competence and context, there is still insufficient focus on attendance and involvement, sense of self, and environment constructs. Hence, future research in the field of AAC is needed on the various constructs of participation proposed by the fPRC framework.

Eye tracking research technologies are often used to study how individuals attend visually to different types of AAC displays (e.g. visual scene displays, grid displays). The assumption is that efficiency of visual search may relate to efficiency of motor selection necessary for communication via aided AAC; however, this assumption has not received direct empirical study. We examined the relation between speed of visual search and speed of motor selection of symbols. Ten individuals on the autism spectrum (AS; Study 1) and nine with Down syndrome (DS; Study 2) participated in a search task using simulated AAC displays with a main visual scene display (VSD) and a navigation bar of thumbnail VSDs. Participants were given an auditory prompt to find one of four thumbnail VSDs in the navigation bar. Eye tracking technologies measured how long it took participants to fixate visually on the thumbnail VSD, and recorded how long it took participants to select the thumbnail VSD with a finger. A statistically significant relationship emerged between visual fixation and selection latencies, confirming the positive relationship between visual processing and motor selection for both groups of participants. Eye tracking data may serve as a useful proxy measure for evaluating how display design influences selection of AAC symbols, especially when individuals are unwilling or unable to comply with traditional behaviorally-based assessment tasks.

This study examined the effects of an intervention package using high-tech augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) with Naturalistic Instruction (NI), time delay, and prompting during social routines for preschoolers on the autism spectrum. The AAC was a communication application on a tablet programmed with color photo representations of participants and communication partners engaged in social routines. The primary dependent measure was a linguistic communication turn on the AAC device completing the instructor's cloze phrase related to the routine. A secondary dependent measure was prelinguistic communication -nonspecific vocalizations and smiling - within each turn of the routine. Results indicated that all communication types increased and maintained for all three participants with two participants meeting mastery criteria within the minimal number of sessions. These results are significant in providing additional evidence for the effectiveness of AAC intervention beyond teaching simple object requests and in teaching more socially meaningful communication to children on the autism spectrum. Additionally, this study supports the use of color photo representations to promote social interaction. Future research should continue to evaluate such interventions on a larger scale and include naturally occurring communication partners, such as siblings and peers.

Sharing personal stories with others is essential to human interaction and language development. To communicate, individuals use a variety of semiotic resources, including images, symbols, and written and spoken language. These modes are deployed in the co-construction of a daily face-to-face conversation. A self-created film can serve as a valuable resource to facilitate a deeper understanding of a personal experience, especially where spoken or written language may present a challenge, for example, for people who rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Although the AAC literature indicates that using videos delivers benefits for aided communicators, guidelines on how to self-create, use, and transcribe them are rare. The present paper, a tutorial, describes how people who use AAC can develop a personal-video-scene (PVS) via the Film as Observable Communication (FaOC) method to utilize self-created films in sharing their stories. The first part of this paper, the theoretical framework, describes theories, methods, and practices from the fields of AAC, social semiotics, and visual anthropology, on which the FaOC method is based. The second part provides a step-by-step tutorial delivering practical guidance on how to create, use, and transcribe the PVS as a resource in conversations.

Smart Predict is a novel two-tablet application developed to improve conversational efficiency for people who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. The Smart Predict system consists of two distinct applications that were built for use with two Android tablets and/or phones with Bluetooth^® capability. One application is referred to as the AAC User app and the second application is called the Partner app. Smart Predict integrates vocabulary supplementation from communication partners in real-time while persons who rely on AAC generate text and maintain full control to choose words within a word prediction line. Using single-case research designs with adapted alternating treatments under two counterbalanced treatment conditions (AAC User app alone versus AAC User app + Partner app), we examined message efficiency with persons who rely on switch scanning for on-screen keyboards. User experience questionnaires were administered to determine satisfaction and workload, and to provide feedback for future development efforts. Three adults with complex communication needs and motor impairments conversed with research staff about fourteen movie trailers. Characters per minute and switch selections per character produced by the person with complex communication needs and motor impairments were measured during 15-minute interviews to represent communication speed and effort. Results indicate that message efficiency increased with the dual-tablet Smart Predict, indicating faster message generation with the vocabulary supplementation system. User satisfaction increased and perceived effort decreased under the Smart Predict conditions. Given these results within a research and development framework, the Smart Predict concept is a viable feature that could be considered within smart AAC technologies.

Since effective and successful AAC service delivery relies on the knowledge and competence of professionals in the field of AAC, sufficient training in AAC will equip professionals to provide quality AAC service delivery. However, many professionals lack training in AAC and structured opportunities for professional development are sorely needed. As there is no consensus on the amount, mode of delivery and content of AAC training, the purpose of this scoping review was to identify AAC training programs for professional development and to describe the characteristics and effects of such programs. A five-pronged search strategy was used to identify relevant studies. The certainty framework was used to appraise the quality of included studies. Charted data included general study characteristics; participant characteristics; training characteristics (i.e., training goals; instructional materials and strategies; training duration); quality appraisal; and reported effects of the training. The scoping review identified 34 studies for inclusion. The results showed the potential of AAC training programs for continuous professional development to increase professionals' skills in AAC intervention. A range of training characteristics was identified to guide the development of future training programs. Gaps in the research related to the training of AAC professionals were also identified to guide future research.

Key word signing (KWS) is an unaided form of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and is frequently used by children with cognitive impairments and their families. Successful implementation of KWS requires a family environment that provides aided language input by modeling the signs. However, families face challenges implementing the signs in their everyday lives. KWS requires effort and sustained parental commitment. Users may also struggle with finding good learning resources and stimulating and enjoyable shared contexts for communication. Signed videos of popular children's books may help to implement KWS and create a signing environment which exposes children and their families to KWS in meaningful ways. The aim of this study was to create videos of this type and investigate whether and how they might serve as an attractive medium of support for families' KWS experience. Three families tested the videos. A triangulated qualitative study incorporating interviews and participant observation explored the families' experience of using these videos as a context for shared communication. The findings suggest that picture book videos supplemented by KWS may be appropriate resources for the use of KWS in everyday family life. They serve as a child-centered activity involving KWS exposure, in which children and their families can participate joyfully and naturally.