The education of children with visual impairments or blindness combined with other disabilities is increasingly recognized as one of the most compelling and challenging aspects of Special Education. We have come to recognize the multiple effects of combined sensory, neurological and/or psychological problems Visual and movement impairments impose…

This manual describes the Wisconsin Sensorimotor Pointing Assessment (WSPA) for individuals with severe communication deficits complicated by other cognitive or motor disabilities, and provides guidelines for its administration. The WSPA was designed to quantify four categories of sensory and motor abilities necessary for initiating and accurately…

Augmented communication was used to reduce aberrant behaviors in a 19-year-old student with severe mental retardation and behavior disorder. Using an individualized constructed communication board with symbols and pictures, the behaviors of inappropriate greetings, grabbing objects without requesting, and lengthy latency in taking medication were…

This paper highlights features of an interactive, bilingual CD-ROM currently under development that is designed to be used for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) decision making with professionals and families of children with disabilities. The CD-ROM is scheduled for release in the spring of 1998 and will: (1) provide information…

This text contains papers presented at the annual conference of the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) held on June 28-July 2, 2000, in Orlando, Florida. Papers are divided into the following sections: (1) technology for special populations, which includes papers that discuss using…

Four high school students with mental retardation and multiple sensory impairments were taught to initiate requests for items or assistance, using dual communication boards and gestures. Following training, students were able to initiate requests with 80 to 100% accuracy using the communication systems at vocational sites, demonstrating a skill…

A case study is presented of a nine-year-old boy with quadriplegic cerebral palsy and vision impairment, chronicling his development of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and literacy skills from birth to second grade. Development and use of his AAC system is described, along with activities for language and literacy development.…

Professional sensitivity to cultural issues during augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) design and implementation has gained increasing attention in the professional literature. This article describes four cultural domains in which core values characteristic of Native American tribes are discernable: spirituality, trustworthiness,…

This report presents a synthesis of information about assistive technology (AT) characteristics, for the purpose of identifying design characteristics that contribute to the quality of AT devices used by school children with disabilities. The first section provides a brief overview of AT, including a definition. The second section describes…

This paper discusses issues central to communicative/cognitive development in children with visual impairments who also have other disabilities, and presents a multi-modal model of augmentative alternative communication delivery that includes tangible symbols, language input strategies, voice output communication devices, software programs with…

Evaluation of a program that traveled to various sites in rural New Mexico to evaluate special education students for augmentative and alternative communication needs revealed that parents and teachers were positive about the quality of services provided. Additionally, graduate students involved in providing services were positive about their…

Discusses group process and design issues that should be considered when a group member has a hearing impairment. Different levels of hearing loss and the differing communication modes are reviewed; differences in cognitive processing based on communication mode are considered. Recommendations for accommodation are given. (LKS)

At the Bridge School (Hillsborough, California), children with severe speech and physical disabilities are trained in the use of augmentative and alternative communication technologies, transitioned back to their home school districts, and given continuing support. Outreach and research endeavors keep the broader community informed and educated…

The study investigates strategies and contexts for supporting the literacy development of young, augmented speakers, whose difficulties in literacy learning are not explained by their levels of cognition alone. Indeed, quantitative and qualitative differences exist in their literacy experiences at home and school. In this study, four primary…

Preparing language interventionists and special education teachers to work with colleagues and families on collaborative teams in public school settings, this book provides basic procedures for intervention for all children with language and communication difficulties, with hands-on activities to give students practice in applying the procedures.…