Background: People who have communication difficulties may benefit from using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Understanding and measuring outcomes from the use of AAC is an important part of evaluating the impact of devices and services. Outcome measurement needs to reflect the changing nature of the impact of using AAC on an…

Children with complex communication needs (CCN) who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) often need more time to process and respond when communicating with others. This study employed a survival analysis approach exploring child response-time patterns following different communication opportunities for young children with CCN who…

Children with complex communication needs (CCN) who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) often need more time to process and respond when communicating with others. This study employed a survival analysis approach exploring child response-time patterns following different communication opportunities for young children with CCN who…

Background: There is a global need for synthetic speech development in multiple languages and dialects, as many children who cannot communicate using their natural voice struggle to find synthetic voices on high-technology devices that match their age, social and linguistic background. Aims: To document multiple stakeholders' perspectives…

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…

The vast majority of individuals with Rett syndrome do not utilize natural speech and therefore require alternative and augmentative communication (AAC). The purpose of the current study was to investigate the use of high- and low-tech AAC modalities by three individuals with Rett syndrome given similar instruction for using both modalities. For…

Purpose: Elementary-aged peers often need support for them to have positive interactions with classmates with autism who are minimally speaking (i.e., fewer than 30 functional spoken words). This study examined whether peers could learn to use responsive interaction strategies to support inclusive play and communication within a peer network…

Young children with complex communication needs are often severely restricted in their ability to communicate and develop language skills. A major barrier preventing these children from accessing communication is a lack of appropriate means to communicate. The present study investigated the implementation of nonelectronic visual scene displays…

Problem: Upon their initial school entrance, some children remain silent and devoid of social interaction for the entire school day. A small group of children are not merely "very shy" but exhibit features of selective mutism, a pervasive social and communication disorder that is sometimes associated with anxiety. For months, these…

The aim of this scoping review was to explore the extent to which AAC studies have occurred in inclusive versus segregated settings, the role of AAC in inclusive setting studies, and the evidence for AAC supporting inclusive education of students with complex communication needs. A scoping review of studies published from 2000 to 2020 that…

Few studies have investigated how individuals with partially intelligible speech choose to communicate, including how, when, and why they might use a speech-generating device (SGD). This study aimed to add to the literature by exploring how this group of individuals use different communication strategies. Qualitative interviews were carried out…

This meta-analysis reviews the literature on communication modes, communicative functions, and AAC type examined during interventions with school-age participants with ASD and/or ID who experience CCN. Considering potential differences related to outcomes taught could help identify the most effective means of individualizing AAC interventions. We…

Background: There are many children with neurodisability who are unable to rely on speech to communicate and so use a range of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) methods and strategies to get their message across. Current instruments designed to measure the outcomes of speech and language therapy interventions lack specific attention…

Matching related stimuli is a foundational skill upon which a wide variety of critical repertoires are constructed. For learners with complex communication needs, including many children with autism, learned relations between pictorial stimuli and their referents are the basis for communication (Andzik et al., 2017; Crowe et al., 2021).…

The educational inclusion of deaf students in England is usually interpreted as placement in mainstream settings alongside hearing students, creating unintended pressure for assimilation to the communicative needs of hearing people. In this context, it is deaf students and their communication support staff who are left to deal with communicative…