Paraeducators are the most frequent communication partners during the school day for students who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), yet they often lack training in AAC best practices. This intervention study examined the effect of an in-class coaching intervention on the aided language modeling (ALM) skills of paraeducators who…

"We love the fact she can learn through play, because she is learning but not realizing, and she does not feel pressurized to learn" (parent of a child with neurodiverse developmental disorders [NDD]). Engaging children with NDD in meaningful learning can be challenging, and that challenge is exacerbated when children are neither…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a training and coaching program aimed to increase the use of the aided language modeling (ALM) strategy by siblings to support the social interactions of children with disabilities who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) in the natural environment. Method: A…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to further evaluate an eight-step partner instructional model developed by Kent-Walsh and McNaughton that has been demonstrated to improve implementation quality and fidelity among adults in clinical and educational settings who support the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) for…

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to examine the effectiveness of an instructional procedure called "aided language modeling" (ALM) on symbol comprehension and expression in 2 preschool children with autism who used few words functionally. ALM consists of engaging the child in interactive play activities and providing models of use of…

Purpose: This study examined the cognitive demands of 2 selection techniques in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), direct selection, and visual linear scanning, by determining the memory retrieval abilities of typically developing children when presented with fixed communication displays. Method: One hundred twenty typical children…

Discusses the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to enhance comprehension and expression of people with autism. A theoretical model for AAC assessment and intervention is presented and illustrated with a case study of a 6-year-old boy with autism and severe expressive and receptive language impairments. (Author/DB)