Communication deficits are one of the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems are utilized to facilitate the communication and language development of children with ASD. This review examines the research literature on the use of aided and unaided AAC systems in interventions for…

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…

Parental interventions can help parents use strategies to support their child's language and communication development. The ComAlong courses are parental interventions that focus on responsive communication, enhanced milieu teaching, and augmentative and alternative communication. This interview study aimed to investigate the course leaders'…

Children who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) often demonstrate pragmatic language difficulties which can impact academic and social outcomes. This randomized control trial for DHH children, ages 3-12 years, explored the Technology-Assisted Language Intervention (TALI), incorporating augmentative and alternative communication technology (AAC)…

With recent data reporting approximately 40--50% of Deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) individuals as having a disability, complex communication needs are not uncommon within this population and can present unique communicative challenges. Implementing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems can provide this population with an…

Background: Accurate and meaningful assessment of language and communication skills to monitor child progress is the cornerstone to appropriate intervention for children with complex communication needs (CCN; Brady et al., 2016; Rowland et al., 2012). Despite this need, there is a lack of high quality and validated measurement of young children…

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…

Background & Aims: Speech-language pathology services are frequently accessed by families of children who have suspected or diagnosed autism. This is expected given that social communication differences are a core feature of autism. This review looked broadly at the state of research in the field of speech-language pathology and preschool…

Purpose: Literacy instruction at home and in school, in addition to child speech and language ability, plays an essential role in reading development. The relationship between these factors in children with developmental disabilities during preschool is important to identify and describe in order to develop and test interventions that target…

Children with intellectual disabilities experience well-documented challenges in the development of problem-solving, particularly related to mathematical word-problem solving. Such challenges are related to both linguistic and conceptual skills. While interventions to assist children in developing conceptual skills are well reported, linguistic…

Previous research by Williams, Siegel and Mazefsky (2018) investigated the relationship between verbal abilities and problem behaviors using data from the Autism Inpatient Collection (AIC). This research found a weak and inconsistent association between verbal abilities and problem behavior severity; however, adapting/coping scores were…

Adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who also possess limited speech capabilities often display poor language and academic skills in adolescence. However, as with all adolescents, they have personal goals and should have equal access to participation across facets of life including but not limited to education.…

Purpose: The present clinical focus draws on an intrinsic case study to provide a thick description of the communication profile of John, a 9-year-old minimally verbal autistic student. Method: Specifically, traditional behavioral assessments, classroom video observations, and semistructured interviews were used to gather information regarding…

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) often demonstrate delays in early language and literacy skills. Shared reading, the practice of adults reading aloud to children while using behaviors (e.g., asking questions) that are meant to promote interaction between the adult and child, is an intervention that has had positive effects on those…

Alternative methods of communication skill development, such as Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), are often used in speech therapy. PECS has been widely used for communication development in children with autism and has proven its efficacy in a large number of studies. PECS is used with people displaying a variety of communication…