scholarly journals Facilitators’ use of a communication device following children’s aided turns in everyday interaction

2021 ◽  
pp. 67-98
Keyword(s):  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Speech Impairments ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Communication Device ◽  
Communication Needs ◽  
Device Use ◽  
Instructional Interaction ◽  
Everyday Communication

This conversation analysis study investigates facilitators’ simultaneous use of speech and aided means in instructional interaction with children with complex communication needs (CCN), who use aided communication in an everyday setting. The participants were children with severe speech impairments and their everyday communication partners. The analysis focused on facilitators’ aided turns immediately following aided turns by the children, within so-called retro-sequences. Retro-sequences were found in interactions involving four out of nine children. The facilitators systematically combined a spoken turn with an aided turn, a speaking and pointing (SAP) practice. The pointing consisted of a single graphical word, mostly a noun. The multimodal practice generally highlighted, emphasized, or exposed graphical words that increased noticeability and understandability within the local context. Adult repeats were treated as requests for confirmation of a candidate understanding and were responded to by the child using vocal and embodied resources. Reformulations (recasts) were treated as profferings of candidate understandings and were responded to using the communication device. The findings indicate that the partner’s use of a spoken and aided follow-up action shaped the immediate context for device use. The findings are relevant for the design of naturalistic interventions and may be used to improve treatment descriptions in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) interventions.

Introduction to the Special Issue: Communication Intervention for Individuals with Complex Communication Needs

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 767-773
Author(s):  
Jeff Sigafoos ◽  
Cindy Gevarter
Keyword(s):  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Complex Communication Needs ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
History Of ◽  
Communication Needs ◽  
Everyday Communication ◽  
Vocal Speech ◽  
Conceptual Overview

Individuals with complex communication needs are likely to experience considerable difficulties and challenges with everyday communication interactions due to limited use and understanding of natural speech. In this editorial, we review the nature of complex communication needs, describe the wide range of individuals who may experience such needs, and provide a brief history of behavioral approaches to addressing these needs. We also highlight the six papers in this special issue that contribute to the further understanding of the use of behavioral intervention approaches for addressing complex communication needs. These papers include one conceptual overview of aided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) interventions for individuals with complex communication needs, four intervention studies addressing a range of communicative topographies (i.e., vocal speech, AAC, and a social messaging app), and one systematic review examining interventions that promote communicative response variability. These six papers highlight the diversity of complex communication needs and emphasize the importance of examining the efficacy of a wide range of individualized behavioral approaches that are matched to specific needs and goals.

“Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Will Give You a Voice”: Key Practices in AAC Assessment and Intervention as Described by Persons with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (05) ◽  
pp. 399-415
Author(s):  
Felicia Giambalvo ◽  
Kim Kohler ◽  
Godfrey Nazareth ◽  
Jessica Caron ◽  
Susan Fager ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Complex Communication Needs ◽  
Multiple Modalities ◽  
Intervention Process ◽  
Communication Needs ◽  
Communication Supports ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of persons with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (pALS) who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) with the AAC assessment and intervention process. Twenty-one pALS with complex communication needs participated in a multipart survey (and follow-up e-mails) to provide information on their experiences with AAC assessment and intervention. A majority of the participants agreed with the importance of three key AAC intervention principles: appropriate staging of the timing of assessment and intervention activities, inclusion of communication partners, and the use of multiple modalities and strategies as communication supports. Most participants reported that their assessment and intervention experiences included at least some aspect of these three key practices. The results of this study suggest that the identified best practices in AAC should be reviewed and implemented on an individualized basis for pALS with complex communication needs.

Family Members' Perceptions of Augmentative and Alternative Communication Device Use

2006 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita L. Bailey ◽  
Howard P. Parette ◽  
Julia B. Stoner ◽  
Maureen E. Angell ◽  
Kathleen Carroll
Keyword(s):  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Communication Device ◽  
Device Use

Improving Patient Safety and Patient–Provider Communication

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 1017-1027 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard R. Hurtig ◽  
Rebecca M. Alper ◽  
Karen N. T. Bryant ◽  
Krista R. Davidson ◽  
Chelsea Bilskemper
Keyword(s):  
Acute Care ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Health Care Team ◽  
Provider Communication ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Patient Provider Communication ◽  
Acute Care Settings ◽  
Nurses Perceptions ◽  
Communication Needs ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Many hospitalized patients experience barriers to effective patient–provider communication that can negatively impact their care. These barriers include difficulty physically accessing the nurse call system, communicating about pain and other needs, or both. For many patients, these barriers are a result of their admitting condition and not of an underlying chronic disability. Speech-language pathologists have begun to address patients' short-term communication needs with an array of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) strategies. Method This study used a between-groups experimental design to evaluate the impact of providing patients with AAC systems so that they could summon help and communicate with their nurses. The study examined patients' and nurses' perceptions of the patients' ability to summon help and effectively communicate with caregivers. Results Patients who could summon their nurses and effectively communicate—with or without AAC—had significantly more favorable perceptions than those who could not. Conclusions This study suggests that AAC can be successfully used in acute care settings to help patients overcome access and communication barriers. Working with other members of the health care team is essential to building a “culture of communication” in acute care settings. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.9990962

An Exploratory Study on Augmentative and Alternative Communication Classroom Integration Training for Special Educators Who Work With Children With Complex Communication Needs in the Bahamas

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 991-1016
Author(s):  
Shameka Stanford ◽  
Ovetta Harris
Keyword(s):  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Communication Disorders ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
The Bahamas ◽  
Complex Communication Needs ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Communication Needs ◽  
Classroom Integration ◽  
And Training

Purpose In 2011, the United Nations estimated there were between 180 and 220 million youth with disabilities living around the world, and 80% of them resided in developing countries. Over the last 6 years, this number has increased significantly, and now, over 1 million people live in the Caribbean with some form of disability such as communication disorders resulting in complex communication needs (CCN). Method This publication discusses the benefits of an exploratory, descriptive, nonexperimental study on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) classroom integration training for 8 special educators in the Bahamas who work with children with CCN. Results The results of this study revealed that 100% of the participants reported the study to be effective in increasing their knowledge and skill in the area of implementing AAC into their classrooms, enhancing their ability to team teach and incorporate AAC opportunities for all students with CCN within their classrooms, and increasing their knowledge and skill overall in the areas of AAC and CCN. Conclusion The findings highlight an important area of potential professional development and training that can be replicated in other English-speaking Caribbean territories focused on AAC classroom integration training program for special educators who teach students with CCN.

Developing an Effective Framework for the Augmentative and Alternative Communication Evaluation Process

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celeste R. Helling ◽  
Jamila Minga
Keyword(s):  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Complex Communication Needs ◽  
Expressive Communication ◽  
Communication Evaluation ◽  
Communication Needs

A comprehensive augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) evaluation is critical to providing a viable means of expressive communication for nonverbal people with complex communication needs. Although a number of diagnostic tools are available to assist AAC practitioners with the assessment process, there is a need to tailor the evaluation process to the specific communication needs of the AAC user. The purpose of this paper is to provide a basis for developing an effective and clinically driven framework for approaching a user-tailored AAC evaluation process.

Grammatical Morpheme Intervention Issues for Students Who Use AAC

2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 62-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathy Binger
Keyword(s):  
Special Interest ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Annual Conference ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Research Results ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
Grammar Acquisition ◽  
Device Use

Abstract Many children who use AAC experience difficulties with acquiring grammar. At the 9th Annual Conference of ASHA's Special Interest Division 12, Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Binger presented recent research results from an intervention program designed to facilitate the bound morpheme acquisition of three school-aged children who used augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Results indicated that the children quickly began to use the bound morphemes that were taught; however, the morphemes were not maintained until a contrastive approach to intervention was introduced. After the research results were presented, the conference participants discussed a wide variety of issues relating to grammar acquisition for children who use AAC. Some of the main topics of discussion included the following: provision of supports for grammar comprehension and expression, intervention techniques to support grammatical morpheme acquisition, and issues relating to AAC device use when teaching grammatical morpheme use.

Thoughts on Grammar Intervention in AAC

2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 43-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Fey
Keyword(s):  
Language Impairment ◽  
Specific Language Impairment ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Communication Systems ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Physical Limitations ◽  
Communication Needs ◽  
Communication Interventions ◽  
Planning Intervention

Abstract In this article, I propose that, for several reasons, grammar should be an early focus of communication interventions for young children using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems. The basic goals for such programs should be to facilitate the child's comprehension of the language of the community, or the target language, thus leading the way to literacy, and to foster the child's use of symbol combinations that mirror the grammatical patterns of speaking children acquiring the target language, even if they cannot be fully grammatically complete. I introduce five principles that underlie most successful approaches to grammar interventions with children with specific language impairment. My initial attempts to apply these principles to interventions with children with complex communication needs indicate that they may be of considerable value to clinicians planning intervention programs. On the other hand, the challenges posed by the intellectual and physical limitations of many AAC users and their communication systems make it necessary to modify at least Principle 5 if the basic goals of intervention are to be met.

A Review of 21 iPad Applications for Augmentative and Alternative Communication Purposes

2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 60-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley Alliano ◽  
Kimberly Herriger ◽  
Anthony D. Koutsoftas ◽  
Theresa E. Bartolotta
Keyword(s):  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Alternative Form ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Text To Speech ◽  
Reference Guide ◽  
Expressive Communication ◽  
Communication Needs ◽  
User Friendly ◽  
Ipad Applications

Abstract Using the iPad tablet for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) purposes can facilitate many communicative needs, is cost-effective, and is socially acceptable. Many individuals with communication difficulties can use iPad applications (apps) to augment communication, provide an alternative form of communication, or target receptive and expressive language goals. In this paper, we will review a collection of iPad apps that can be used to address a variety of receptive and expressive communication needs. Based on recommendations from Gosnell, Costello, and Shane (2011), we describe the features of 21 apps that can serve as a reference guide for speech-language pathologists. We systematically identified 21 apps that use symbols only, symbols and text-to-speech, and text-to-speech only. We provide descriptions of the purpose of each app, along with the following feature descriptions: speech settings, representation, display, feedback features, rate enhancement, access, motor competencies, and cost. In this review, we describe these apps and how individuals with complex communication needs can use them for a variety of communication purposes and to target a variety of treatment goals. We present information in a user-friendly table format that clinicians can use as a reference guide.

New AAC Access Strategy for Gesture Tracking: A Technical Note

2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Fager ◽  
Tom Jakobs ◽  
David Beukelman ◽  
Tricia Ternus ◽  
Haylee Schley
Keyword(s):  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Technical Note ◽  
Head Tracking ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Access Methods ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Physical Limitations ◽  
Gesture Tracking ◽  
Communication Needs ◽  
Tracking Device

Abstract This article summarizes the design and evaluation of a new augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) interface strategy for people with complex communication needs and severe physical limitations. This strategy combines typing, gesture recognition, and word prediction to input text into AAC software using touchscreen or head movement tracking access methods. Eight individuals with movement limitations due to spinal cord injury, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, polio, and Guillain Barre syndrome participated in the evaluation of the prototype technology using a head-tracking device. Fourteen typical individuals participated in the evaluation of the prototype using a touchscreen.

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