Although the last decade has welcomed evidence that individuals with Rett syndrome (RTT) can communicate using alternative and augmentative communication (AAC), less is known about effective procedures for teaching various component skills required for expressive communication of individuals with complex communication needs. The purpose of the…

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (n.d.) suggests that acquisition and use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is dynamic and that learning multiple modalities may be beneficial particularly for those individuals with severe disabilities. Evaluation of response variability after training multiple modalities has yet…

Vestibular input (VI) activities are linked with skill learning, engagement, and communication. This study investigated the influence of VI activities on the responses of non-verbal children with autism spectrum disorders (CWASD) when prompted to request a reinforcer using picture exchange communication. A single subject alternating treatment…

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) has been widely used to teach functional requesting and commenting skills to children with autism spectrum disorder. Some researchers also modified the PECS to explore its effect on children with other disabilities. The main purpose of this study was to add tangible symbols to PECS (PECS-TS) in…

Functional communication training (FCT) is an effective intervention for teaching communication responses and reducing challenging behavior. One limitation of FCT is that frequent reinforcement may be impractical or impossible in many situations. Recently, Mitteer et al. published a tutorial in the journal "AAC" that provided video…

For individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who have limited to no vocal speech abilities, mobile augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technology provides opportunities for communication with those around them. Interventionists can incorporate evidence-based practices into AAC instruction to heighten the efficacy of its…

The present study evaluated a systematic instructional package including the system of least prompts (SLP) to teach differentiation and selection of tangible symbols to continue activities for two children with complex support needs and deafblindness (DB). A multiple probe design across three symbols was used to evaluate the intervention package…

Individuals with developmental disabilities often do not develop vocal repertoires, thus requiring the use of augmentative devices. Teaching caregivers to conduct communication training with their children may be one way to foster communication with their device in the natural environment. This study replicates Rosales, Stone and Rehfeldt (2009),…

The present study evaluated the efficacy of a set of procedures for bringing tact extensions of abstract tactile properties under stimulus control. Two participants with disabilities who communicated via a picture-based communication system received reinforcement for tacts of tactile properties of four wet/dry and four hard/soft stimuli. Test…

Between 30 and 50% of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) do not develop vocal language deemed functionally acceptable to meet their daily communication needs. As a result, individuals with ASD may require intervention alternatives to vocal speech, such as augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). However, very little is known…

In the current investigation, we reviewed the literature on mand training for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in schools. Ninety-three studies met our inclusion criteria including 225 individual participants. Data were extracted related to participant demographics (e.g., age, disability, response form) and study…

Identifying potentially effective practices for improving outcomes for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex process. In this article, we respond to recent reviews of evidence-based practices for individuals with ASD. We identify possible problems and make suggestions in relation to identifying well-specified practices,…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of special educators' delivery of training that included an initial training session and follow-up coaching on paraprofessional implementation of an evidence-based practice for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Three special educators each trained a paraprofessional in their…

Withdrawal and multitreatment single subject research designs were used to evaluate the effectiveness of stay-play-talk (SPT) interventions on social behaviors of preschool-aged peers to children with disabilities. Each group included at least one socially competent peer and one child with Down syndrome who used an augmentative and alternative…

The educational inclusion of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can be challenging, due to behavioural issues. Scant research has been conducted to investigate behavioural interventions for students with ASD in the Chinese context. Since special education in China varies greatly from that in western countries such as Australia,…