People interact with individuals who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) based on personal attitudes and perceived communicative competence. The purpose of this study is to investigate how different means of communication, such as an iPad-based Speech Generating Device (SGD), a communication board, and natural speech influence the…

Individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) occupy complex sociocultural and sociolinguistic territories. They are immersed in spoken language communities but to participate as speakers in conversational interactions, they may rely on atypical communication modes, including systems for generating speech that set them apart…

Background: More than 80% of people living with MND (plwMND) develop difficulties with their speech, affecting communication, self-identity and quality of life. Most plwMND eventually use an augmentative and alternative communication device (AAC) to communicate. Some AAC devices provide a synthesized voice for speech, however these voices are…

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…

This study examined whether partner reauditorization affected the attitudes reported by young adults toward a child who communicated using nonelectronic AAC. The study also examined preferences for the way the AAC system was used (i.e., in the presence or absence of reauditorization), whether reauditorization was associated with differences in…

Schools in the United States support a large group of students requiring the assistance of augmentative and alternate communication (AAC). It is currently unknown what types of training and supports special education teachers require or are receiving to meet the needs of these students. A convenience sample of 3,200 teachers was surveyed about the…

Parents' experiences of using Lámh, a key word signing approach used in Ireland, were captured through in-depth face-to-face interviews with parents of children with a range of intellectual disabilities. It emerged that Lámh provides child users with one of the rudiments of inclusion, that is, a means of engaging with others. A number of factors…

Background: The aim was to explore the relationship between quality of active support and communication support for people in group homes with high and low support needs. Methods: Data from 182 service users, 20-81 years (mean = 40), 89 with high support needs, were observed to have either good (n = 142) or poor (n = 40) communication support.…

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who have limited speech are often taught to communicate using a speech-generating device (SGD). We evaluated procedures for teaching a mand for information (i.e., "Where" is [item]?) using an interrupted behavior chain procedure. In Experiment 1, all participants (3 children with ASD who…

Purpose: This study reports a secondary analysis of the nature of communicative functions and modalities used in initiations and responses of minimally verbal preschoolers with severe autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from a previously published study (Thiemann-Bourque, Feldmiller, Hoffman, & Johner, 2018). This analysis focused on the final…

This study provides an example of using single case experimental design to guide data-driven, low-inference interventions for an individual using customized displays on a speech-generating device and can serve as an example for interventionists who need to compare intervention strategies to identify approaches that are most appropriate for a…

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),…

Various types of augmentative and alternative communication systems have been successfully used to enable functional communication in children with developmental disabilities. The effects of such systems on natural speech production have also been investigated, but few studies have explored the effects of specific procedures aim at inducing…

Literacy instruction has an important role in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) because spelling and writing support precise communication. Unfortunately, few students with extensive support needs and complex communication needs (ESN/CCN) develop literacy skills at or above the first grade reading-level. Given that learning to read…

This research explored the transformative potential of technology in special education, informed by the researcher's extensive experience in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Highlighting the case of a nonspeaking student with autism who made significant academic progress using an augmented alternate communication (AAC), device, the study…