Nonvocal alert patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting often struggle to communicate due to inaccessible or unavailable tools for augmentative and alternative communication. Innovation of a hand-operated non-touchscreen communication system for nonvocal ICU patients was guided by design concepts including speech output, simplicity, and…

The purpose of this study was to determine how a family communication partner (usually the mother IS primarily responsible for communication with a youth with a communication disability) could be trained to use an iPad and communication software for increasing appropriate communication and decreasing inappropriate behavior of youth with…

With the implementation of the inclusion concept in public school classes, the ability of the general physical educator to effectively teach all of his or her students has been tested. This is particularly true with some students who have a receptive language disability (e.g., deaf, traumatic brain injury), an expressive language disability (e.g.,…

This report discusses the outcomes of a study that used indirect language stimulation techniques and modeling to encourage language development in a 5-year-old child with cerebral palsy. Initially, the student's communication system had very severe limitations. He used fewer than 10 spoken words which were unintelligible to most listeners. Both…

This paper describes how Alameda High School in California is using the Speaking Dynamically Pro v2.0 software by Mayer-Johnson to help 13 special education students (ages 14-18) communicate and make the world more accessible. The students have a range of disabilities and skill levels. This computer program enables the students to make choices,…